Alternate Reincarnation
by Cryocene
Summary: First Date A Live Story. Shido had met several girls and forgotten them before. A gentle girl who ruled a paradise of lies. A jealous girl who was born to disappear. However, when the forgotten ones began to return, what would happen to our hero? (Set after Volume 14's Prologue, MAIN FIC)
1. Arrival of the Goddess

**Author Note: Greetings! Before the chapter, I would like to express my gratitude for you readers who decided to stop by!**

 **Important: This story is not exactly an AU. It's more like the DAL games and the Encore OVAs: It can be both AU or canon, it's up to you to decide which. So I'm trying to make this story perfectly capable to fit in canon, but you can think of it as an AU.**

 **The story occurs after the events of Rinne Utopia and possibly Mayuri Judgment (but NOT Ars Install and Rio Reincarnation), and set right after the prologue of volume 14 (during the first day of the new semester). Therefore, beware of spoilers.**

 **This is an updated version of the original Chapter 1, "Arrival of the Goddess", since I'm convinced the original didn't develop the mood enough.**

* * *

The clock showed 0.00 A.M. The date had moved from 8th January to 9th January.

In a building belonging to the [Deus Ex Machina Industries], within his personal office, the Executive Director Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott sat on his chair with a good mood.

"I said, postpone the attack, Ellen."

In front of his table, his secretary Ellen Mira Mathers, seemed to be confused by his orders.

"Postpone? But the preparations are already complete."

A few hours ago, the director had ordered to prepare a fleet of space battleships to attack a Spirit who wandered above the skies in outer space. She was code-named [Zodiac].

DEM would probably never manage to locate this Spirit, if they didn't secure [Tome of Divine Corruption (Beelzebub)] from the Spirit [Sister] a week ago. But then now, after the preparations were done, Westcott ordered to postpone the departure.

Ellen wasn't one to question orders, but she didn't see any reason for postponing the attack. Especially since, Sister's survival and [Tome of Revelation (Rasiel)]'s existence had heavily restricted Beelzebub's omniscience. That meant they had to immediately capture Zodiac before she left her position.

"May I ask the reason why, Ike?" Ellen asked.

"I found something interesting." Westcott replied cheerfully.

The secretary only raised an eyebrow as the director smirked.

"From Beelzebub? Isn't its function being restricted now?" Ellen questioned, skeptical.

"Indeed it is, but only partially. The interference from Sister won't affect any information unrelated to her. I can still know many things, although not as many as I would like." Westcott explained.

"Then, what do you find out this time?"

"A powerful Spirit will visit our city today."

Ellen was slightly surprised at the news, mostly at Westcott's nonchalance at the matter.

"Spirit? Then we will have to-" Ellen was cut off.

"Now now, no need to be so hasty. This Spirit is important not just for us, but also for [ **her** ]." Westcott narrowed his eyes.

The two became silent for a moment. When he said that, that meant-

"You mean... this new Spirit is also one of [her] experiment subjects? How do you know?" Ellen questioned with a bit of disbelief.

"I am unable to decipher anything about this Spirit, even though I can tell that it's coming. Its powers are similar to [that person]." Westcott closed his eyes as he elaborated.

Understanding the explanation, Ellen let out a long sigh as if she was annoyed.

"So it's another one of her pawns? Honestly, I personally dislike the way she is playing her game. Her pawns keep on appearing one after another." Ellen complained.

"You don't like it? I **love** it. She had proven that beings like Itsuka Shido could exist, so now I am eager to see more of her surprises..." Westcott said cheerfully.

"Well... if that's the case, what should we do then, Ike?"

"Here's your orders."

The white-haired man handed his secretary a document, which she quickly skimmed over.

"Hmm...? Are you sure this is the order, Ike?"

Ellen raised an eyebrow as she read the papers, skeptical. In respond to this, Westcott's smirk grew.

"Of course I am. Isn't it fitting? We should welcome [ **Ruler** ] like the queen that she is..."

* * *

" _Don't forget."_

 _A voice whispered._

 _It was in the middle of absolute nowhere. It was nothing but an infinite void._

 _And yet, the voice resonated and echoed, persisting until it couldn't be heard anymore._

 _As if responding to the voice, the figure of a man slowly revealed himself in the midst of darkness. ._

" _Who...is that?" The man asked._

 _The figure didn't receive an answer. Instead, he heard another request._

" _Don't forget about me."_

 _The voice that did not want to be forgotten pleaded once more._

" _Promise me, Itsuka Shido."_

* * *

"...Huh?"

On his bed, the blue-haired boy opened his brown eyes. It was still sleepy, but he forced it open regardless.

The boy, Itsuka Shido, took the phone that was next to his pillow and flipped it open. It was 6.34 A.M, January 9th.

The morning of his first day of the new school term.

As soon as his brain cells were fully awake, memories of his dream immediately resurfaced.

"That dream again..."

Shido had experienced this dream for a long time. But because he had no memory of his childhood, he had no idea when he first had this dream.

One thing he was sure, it didn't came frequently. Perhaps the last time this dream occurred to him was a few years ago. Long before he began his 'quest'.

"Don't forget? I can't even remember my past..."

All of a sudden, Shido felt anger.

Shido was not the type of person who got angry easily. However, anytime he had the dream, he felt pain in his heart.

It was irrational. He couldn't explain why, or how. What's more, he couldn't contain the unreasonable pain within. His anger burst out, even though he had no reason to.

Just as he was about to leave the bed, he heard a knock and a familiar voice on his door.

"Shido? How long are you planning to sleep? Wake up already!"

Shido knew this voice very well. It was his foster sister, Itsuka Kotori.

A redheaded girl whose personality changed between cheerful, adorable 'sister-mode' when she was wearing white ribbons to tie her twin-tails, and harsh, tough and bossy 'commander-mode' when she used black ribbons instead.

Shido had known her well enough to guess that she was wearing black ribbons right now.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm coming.." He jumped from the bed, and quickly went to his showers.

After a few minutes of showering and changing his clothes, he was ready for another day in school.

As he went down the stairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he saw that the girls in his house were silent in front of the TV in the living room.

" _That's unusual,"_ he thought.

From normal perspective, having seven female guests within the house early in the morning was already unusual. But for Shido, who knew these girls very well and lived a life different from any others, the sight of silence coming from them was the unusual thing.

"Um..." Shido tried to see what the TV might have done to them.

The screen was pure blue.

The Blue Screen of Death.

"What!?" Shidou quickly approached the TV. He blinked, and took one more look at it.

It was reality. The TV was in BSOD.

It was shocking news for him.

" _Why? This TV is powered by [Ratatoskr]! Things like this shouldn't be..."_

He turned around. He saw the expressions of the watchers.

"Nee, Shido..." The voice came from a girl who lived by the name Yatogami Tohka.

She was usually lively, but this time, she didn't sound too amused.

"What happened to the TV?"

That's a question Shido would like to ask his sister.

"Wait, Tohka... no, everyone, please wait. I'll take care of this."

"Good luck, Shido."

The robotic voice came from Tobiichi Origami. Since she was the only one who understood how TV worked, she was the only one to wish him a good luck.

Shido quickly went to the kitchen. There, he found Kotori was sitting comfortably before the dining table, waiting for the breakfast.

"Kotori!"

Honestly, Shido didn't want to sound irritated but his voice ruled him to be so.

"What's wrong, Shido?"

Kotori turned her attention to Shido, clearly uncomfortable from the way her big brother called her.

"The TV is wrong. Why is it in BSOD?"

Hearing that, Kotori was silent for a moment. Then she jumped from her seat.

"BSOD!? That's impossible! Are you sure those girls didn't hit it in their fight or something?"

"Err, no, the TV didn't look like it was harmed..."

For Shido, the possibility of losing things he owned to property damage everyday was not low. In fact, with those girls in his house, it was quite high. But, he was sure it was not the case right now.

"Oh well. I'll contact Ratatoskr. Just make the breakfast now." Kotori went up the stairs, returning to her room.

Shido let out a long sigh.

"I hope it's nothing serious..."

As he wore the apron and prepared to cook, Shido remembered about the dream he had again.

He very rarely had that dream, so when he did, it was hard to get it out of his mind.

" _That dream... just who...?"_

However, he knew that it was a question he couldn't answer.

Trying to remove the dream from his mind, Shido began cooking as he reminisced the events happening in the past months.

" _Spirits... beings who cause disasters called Spacequakes whenever they pop out from their home dimensions to our world. As such, the group [Anti-Spirits Team], the AST, hunt them for existing."_

Shido was reminded of the sad look on a beautiful face, back when he first met Tohka.

" _I'm the only one capable of saving them from that fate, by sealing their powers. And so, my sister's organization Ratatoskr helped me to make those Spirits fall in love with me, so I can kiss them and seal their powers, turning them into ordinary, human girls."_

Shido clenched his fists. He knew that being the only one able to do so meant it was entirely his responsibility to save Spirits. Even if it was forced upon him, it didn't matter as he would have done it with or without orders.

" _It seems that, since I keep their powers inside me, I can use their powers, their Angels. However, I was told that the stress of having the powers of 8 Spirits and their 7 Angels seemed to drive me berserk a few months ago."_

Shido had no recollection whatsoever on that period. One side of him was curious, another side of him was afraid. Afraid of what he could have done.

" _What should I do now? Can I continue to seal Spirits?"_

Shido could feel chill ran down his spine. His hand trembled.

" _No, not just that. There's a lot of other things to worry about."_

Shido tried his best to calm down.

" _There's still Kurumi, the Spirit who refuses to be saved."_

The sight of the corpse of Kurumi's clone, killed by the original Kurumi back then, replayed in his head. It was disgusting. And regrettable.

" _Deus Ex Machina Industries, the group that wanted the powers of the Spirits for themselves. Those two, Ellen... Westcott..."_

Shido could still feel it. The terrifying stare thrown at him by Inverse Spirits, the monstrous form hidden within every Spirit.

" _[Phantom]... the being who created Spirits from humans."_

The memory of the enigmatic entity, taking the form of an unknown -yet familiar- girl, during the time travel trip, returned to his mind.

" _And also, Nia... she hasn't fully recovered yet."_

Shido remembered as he saved the life of the otaku Spirit a week ago. When one of DEM Wizards took most of her Crystal when she was rampaging in her Inverse form, the process stripped her from most of her powers and would have killed her if Shido didn't save her in time.

" _What should I do? These hands... what can they do for them?"_

Shido stopped cooking for a moment to take a firm look at his own right hand.

He closed his eyes and kept silent for several moments.

" _...Ah, I may not be spacing out like this."_

Shido brushed his thoughts aside as he continued his day.

* * *

Going out of his house at 7.17 for school, Shido walked with Tohka, Origami, Kaguya, and Yuzuru.

A few things were off about them. Oddly, the dark-haired Spirit and the white-haired Spirit weren't looking forward, but locked at one another. Meanwhile, the twins who were usually noisy were completely silent right now.

Which went against all laws of nature.

 _"I can't believe that worked..."_ Shido thought.

During breakfast, Tohka and Origami were about to have another quarrel. But, Kotori had wised up and instead turned it into a competition.

 _"The one who can keep their mouth shut for the rest of today, except for when Shido allows them to talk, will get a chance for a date with Shido tomorrow!"Kotori told them._

Shido was fairly convinced that it wouldn't work to convince the two rivals to be silent. To his surprise, it did. And it worked on other girls, too.

Therefore, as Shido, Tohka, Origami, Kaguya, and Yuzuru walked to the school, no one dared talking.

 _"Well, calmness like this is fine, but I guess being ordered to be silent all day is too harsh."_ Shido thought, trying to be considerate towards the feelings of his girls.

"You guys may talk until we reach the class."

That instant, however, Tohka and Origami immediately began to belittle the other.

"Huh, you looked relieved when Shido allowed us to talk. You can't keep it up anymore, can you?" Tohka smiled mockingly.

"I wonder. Maybe it was you who was unable to hold back your desire to talk. Seeing as you immediately spoke the moment Shido gave permission, I assume your brain lacks the capacity to control your tongue." Origami returned the favor.

"What did you say?! You-" Before she could continue, Shido cut them off before it could escalate.

"All right! All right! Tohka, Origami, keep quiet! Kaguya, Yuzuru, you may continue talking until homeroom teacher comes!" Shido said in desperate attempts to stop the insult-combat.

"But, Shido! Oh, owh..." Tohka tried to protest, but remembering Kotori's words, she immediately fell silent.

Shido sighed. He was anxious. There were so many things that could go wrong in this contest.

What if they tried to eliminate one another? How would they even do that?

Heck, what if more than one Spirit managed to survive until the end of the contest?

 _"I really don't want to be trapped in another triple date... Kotori, my little sister, can I believe in you?"_

Shido was about let out another sigh, before all of a sudden, something was heard in his ears.

"Eh?"

It was very weak, but, he clearly heard something.

No, wrong. The barely audible sound was continuous.

" _What the? What is this?"_ Shido stopped in his tracks.

"Hmm? What froze you, Shido?" Kaguya asked.

"Confusion. Shido, why do you stop?" Yuzuru asked.

"Huh?" Shido turned to the Spirits behind him. "You guys don't hear anything?"

The four Spirits shook their heads.

" _They don't?"_ Shido raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, in Shido's ears, the sound was gradually becoming louder and audible.

After a few moments, Shido could finally recognize what was it.

" _This is... music?"_

The blue-haired boy looked around, trying to find any source. However, there was none.

"...?"

* * *

Early in the morning or not, Tenguu City was still a city. Sidewalks began to be crowded, and streets were slowly filled with vehicles. Noisy, but one could almost taste the peacefulness of the busy city.

However, so long as light existed, so would shadows.

"Hump."

A girl clad in blood red and shadow black dress hummed as the sounds from outside made her aware of the time of the day.

The city had awoken.

"So the sun has risen..."

It was the Spirit with code-name [Nightmare], Tokisaki Kurumi.

Her differently colored eyes were focused at herself through a mirror wall.

The room she was in couldn't be said to be in the best condition. There were no furniture, the floor and the walls were dusty, and even the mirror wall Kurumi was using had very long and very visible cracks on its surface.

Yet still, she found the room to be comfortable.

After all, it was inside one of the most ideal hideouts in the city: an abandoned building that was to left to be destroyed.

Thanks to the Spacequakes, whenever a building was scheduled into a low-priority destruction, people would simply left it alone, hoping that the not-so-natural disaster would destroy them, saving the money and time necessary to burn it to the ground.

The perfect place for the Nightmare Spirit to hide.

Although, she couldn't hide from someone.

"...Stop lurking in the shadows and come out. You are not me."

Without turning from the mirror, Kurumi said the words in a calm, yet furious tone, letting her displeasure audible.

Much to her dismay, she was not alone. There was an uninvited guest, and it was not one of [Hers].

"Heh."

The response came from nowhere. The distorted voice was clearly understandable, even though it was barely audible.

Kurumi hated it. She didn't like the feeling the voice gave. It sounded like the devil itself was whispering into her ears.

Then again, considering it was [Phantom], maybe it would fit her to sound like that.

"You seem to be more and more hostile to me every time we meet..."

The voice continued in a lighthearted tone, clearly trying to joke. Yet, Kurumi was not amused.

"There is no reason for me to be kind or polite to you."

The Nightmare Spirit almost scowled. Kurumi really could not enjoy the enigmatic entity's presence, let alone her antics.

"Really? After all the things I've gone and told you? Don't you think I should have earned your fondness?"

Phantom said sarcastically as her figure, distorted and protected with mosaics appeared behind Kurumi.

Kurumi didn't bother to turn around from the broken mirror wall. She didn't want to even acknowledge Phantom's presence.

"I have neither the need nor the patience to deal with you. What brings you here?" Kurumi asked in an annoyed tone.

"Is that so. Well, I am only here to tell you something you'll like, time keeper." Phantom replied.

The Spirit of Time twitched at the nickname.

In a sense it was fitting - her [Emperor of Time (Zafkiel)] was indeed an Angel that could manipulate time.

That didn't mean Kurumi could appreciate how Phantom worded it.

Noticing her reaction, Phantom made a chuckle. Kurumi could feel her anger was beginning to boil.

Deciding that she wanted Phantom to leave as soon as possible, she spoke.

"Do tell, although I doubt you could bring me any sort of joy."

"That's where you are wrong. I am telling you that your friend will visit you. Soon."

Kurumi widened her eyes as soon as she heard the word 'friend.'

" _My friend? Could it be...?"_

Kurumi had never told anyone, but she had a partner.

A fellow Spirit, who was working with her from afar.

No one knew about her except for herself, and of course, Phantom who made Spirits from humans.

She was also someone Kurumi had told to stay away from Tenguu City for the time being.

After a moment, Kurumi scowled and threw a glare at Phantom's reflection on the mirror.

Phantom was trying to deceive her.

"Do you think you could fool me? The time is not right. She is not supposed to visit yet."

Kurumi spoke with a controlled anger, raising her tone.

Phantom made a gesture that seemed to be a shrug.

"I never deceived anyone with words."

Phantom replied dismissively.

Kurumi narrowed her eyes.

"Do you think I ever believed in you?"

"You do, at times. Such as when I told you about that man."

Was Phantom talking about Shido? As useful as the information about Shido was, that was not a proof that Kurumi trusted her.

And, her partner would not have a reason to visit early anyway.

"Only after I see an irrefutable evidence. Also, you are in no position to speak about her. You do not know her the way I do."

"Huhu... ha ha ha!"

The enigmatic Spirit let out a distorted laugh that was unclear as it was unpleasant to Kurumi's ears.

Before Kurumi could open her mouth to silence the figure, the Phantom spoke again.

"Oh, I know all of my children, alright."

As soon as Phantom said that, the mosaics covering her figure dissolved like a fog under the light.

It then revealed a girl with short, light pink hair with a tied-up braid, and light brown eyes, clad in Raizen High School sweater and skirt.

It was the exact same method and exact same form Phantom took when she spoke with Shido back then, when Kurumi sent Shido to the past to save Origami.

"Look, I even use her appearance like this."

In her new appearance, Phantom spoke and smiled cheerfully.

Seeing that through the reflection, Kurumi clenched her fists so hard it became white.

How dare she?

Did she think just because Kurumi could not reach her last time, meant that Kurumi would tolerate it now?

"You... I advise you should stop using her appearance like it was your own."

Kurumi's tone was no longer that of annoyance. It was that of a threat.

However, the Phantom was not the slightest bit intimidated.

"Hihihi... sorry, Kurumi."

Phantom made a nervous smile and put on a guilty look as she apologized.

It was fake however, Kurumi knew. That manner of apologizing belonged to someone else.

Someone Kurumi knew very well.

 _"This woman..."_

Kurumi intended to end this encounter without wasting her Spirit mana. Phantom's very presence was enough to darken her mood, but at least she could tolerate that.

However, the Nightmare Spirit was not going to allow Phantom escape unscathed for making fun of her friend.

"I told you..."

Kurumi snapped her neck to Phantom's direction as she drew both her flintlock and musket from her shadow.

"Don't act like her!"

However, just as she was about to attack the Phantom, a faint noise startled her.

"!?"

"...!"

Phantom too appeared to be surprised, and the figure covered in mosaics floated away from her with a few steps' distance.

Kurumi stopped, and her sharpened senses immediately focused on her surroundings.

The Nightmare Spirit expected an ambush. But nothing happened; the room was still, and the only one she could sense was her clones, who were dispatched to observe to watch this place, and Phantom, who was in her eyesight.

But the noise continued.

Gradually, the noise became louder. At the same time, it became clearer and more audible.

It had... melody. It was music.

 _"Wait... could this be!?"_

Kurumi widened her eyes in shock.

"This melody... it can't be..."

In disbelief, Kurumi accidentally spoke her mind out loud.

Phantom, clearlt recognizing the music as well, gestured in a way that seemed to be a taunting akimbo.

"See? I told you she was coming."

Phantom spoke cheekily with a mocking tone.

Although Kurumi would love to wipe the smile that was no doubt in Phantom's face off, she was too surprised to care about it at this point.

Kurumi listened to the music for a few more moments. Maybe she was hallucinating.

However, the longer she listened, the clearer it became. It was certainly her [music].

" _No way, she really came? Why?"_

It was not the time yet.

Her friend was early. Way too early.

 _"Why would she... no."_

Kurumi was not going to ask Phantom.

She was going to ask the guest herself.

Kurumi ran past Phantom, who ignored her.

In the darkness of the hallway, Kurumi phased to the floor and into the building itself with her powers. Within her own path of darkness, Kurumi ran forward into the light at the end, almost like a tunnel.

In no time, she emerged from the pavement outside the abandoned building. Kurumi looked around for possible witnesses.

Luckily for her, there was no one except for her, it seemed.

 _"Good for me."_

Kurumi closed her eyes, concentrating on the music.

It was light, calm, and soothing melody.

Being the gothic girl she was, Kurumi was familiar of this kind of play.

A serenade. A musical greeting performed for a lover, friend, or other people to be honored.

Her friend was calling her.

" _The music is coming from... there!"_

Kurumi used her powers to once again phase into the ground below.

After a while, she surfaced again, this time in a T-junction street.

Kurumi took a deep breath to calm herself down. From this point, there was no need to rush.

Calmly turning right, Kurumi smiled at what she saw.

"There you are... Rinne."

In the middle of an empty area devoid of people, the person Kurumi referred to was eye-catching.

She was clad in a long, purple clock dress. She had a long, light pink hair, with braids reaching her legs. Her head was decorated with a large headdress, and her face was mostly covered by a piece of veil.

On her left hand she held a light purple, metallic Kinnor lyre, and with gentle strums of her right she produced a beautiful serenade.

"Long time no see, Kurumi."

* * *

 **There you go! If there's anything you want to comment, criticize, bash, or point out, don't hesitate to review.**

 **A bit of information: the Kinnor is an ancient Hebrew string-type instrument that... you can call it a hybrid between harps and lyres. It is hand-carried like a lyre, but its strings didn't pass across a soundboard and bridge like a harp. Usually, people refers to it as lyre, so here I just call it Kinnor lyre.**

 **The Kinnor that Rinne possesses has 10 strings, and its purple is lighter than Rinne's own Astral Dress. Its size is slightly larger as Nia's Rasiel when opened (which is a book already larger than typical dictionaries, I estimate).**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Reunion Between Time and Fate

**A/N: Salutations! My thanks for people who decided to read this second chapter!**

 **Nothing much to say though, except for the fact that this chapter is also an updated version of the original Chapter 2, "Reunion Between Time and Fate".**

* * *

"What's wrong, Shido? You look like a treasure hunter."

"Concern. What are you looking for, Shido?"

Kaguya and Yuzuru said, respectively. Tohka and Origami too, appeared concerned.

The blue-haired boy didn't reply. He was deep in thought, concentrating to the music playing on the background.

" _They can't hear it, but I can. That means... it must be a Spirit's doing!"_

Shido was convinced of it. His experience with the Angel of Sound, [Army-Breaking Songstress (Gabriel)], led him to that conclusion.

Gabriel's music was intense, trying to erode into the very core of his mind. This on the other hand was calm, and made his heart warm.

This music had a different feeling into it, but they were similar. He could feel it affecting him, even if it had no effect because of his Spirit powers.

That meant it was supernatural in nature, and likely caused by a Spirit.

" _But Kotori didn't inform me anything..."_

It was in these kinds of times he wanted to kick himself for not bringing the communicator with him.

Thinking of an alternative, Shido then pulled out his phone, trying to contact his sister.

"...Huh? It's not working?"

Shido glanced again at his phone's screen. Kotori couldn't be contacted.

He tried again with Murasame Reine's number, but the result was the same.

" _Could it be that [Ratatoskr] is under some sort of maintenance today?"_

It made sense, considering the BSOD their television had this morning.

Just as he was about to continue looking around however, all of a sudden an uncomfortable feeling assaulted his whole body.

"Ugh!"

He felt the air around him thickened, and the surroundings were darkened for no reason at all.

It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening.

 _"Th..this is..!"_

Shido's eyes widened as he understood what happened.

There was only one thing he knew that could cause this.

Worried, Shido glanced at the girls behind him for confirmation.

"Ah...!"Kaguya moaned.

"Discomfort. Yuzuru feels... weak..." Yuzuru said weakly.

Tohka and Origami were no better, but even still, the two obeyed Shido's orders and didn't make a sound.

There was no mistaking it.

"Kurumi's... [City of Devouring Time]!"

* * *

"Are you an idiot?"

Kurumi said as she raised a hand, commanding her City of Devouring Time to envelope everything in her sight with darkness.

She didn't intend to sound so harsh, Kurumi was more than a bit annoyed at this point.

Contrary to her negative mood though, the girl in front of her only let out a chuckle as she took off her veil.

Revealing a beautiful face befitting Spirits, the guest's pair of crimson eyes met Kurumi's own mismatched ones.

Soon after, the girl named 'Rinne' smiled.

"Hmm... in comparison to you, yes I am."

The Spirit's lyre dissolved into Spirit mana as she said that.

Catching the hidden meaning of those words, Kurumi narrowed her eyes.

"You didn't warn me of your arrival, and you didn't attempt to hide your presence here. Do you think flattery will get you anywhere?"

"Why do I need to worry about those? I know you will find me and mask my Spirit wavelength with your bounded-field."

Rinne only shrugged and answered dismissively at Kurumi's concerns.

The Nightmare Spirit let out a long sigh. She already knew where this was going.

"...You can't always count on me to have your back."

Kurumi made sure to sound a little bit serious with that line.

However, once again Rinne only giggled, much to her chagrin.

"I know, Kurumi, don't be so stiff. We haven't seen each other for a while, so a little surprise never hurts, right?"

Rinne only asked her back with a cheerful tone.

Knowing that it wouldn't get anywhere, Kurumi decided to drop the subject with a sigh.

However, her senses stayed sharp, scanning their surroundings. It would be preferable if no one saw them there.

Luckily for them, there was no one. Although Kurumi suspected it was because of Rinne's doing rather than luck.

Kurumi smiled lightly and turned to Rinne.

"Fufu, I apologize for my rude welcome. Would you want somewhere more pleasant to chat? I shall be your guide for this tour."

With a respectful tone, the girl clad in goth bowed and gave a curtsy to her guest.

"I accept your apology, and do please guide me. I'm in your hands."

Kurumi looked up to see Rinne smiling in acceptance.

Keeping her smile, Kurumi snapped her fingers, thus triggering the time-stealing barrier around them to gradually disappeare.

As the shadow disappeared, so were the two figures that were there.

* * *

The landscape around them now was completely different.

Rinne was beside her, and they were back inside Kurumi's personal hideout.

Finding herself comfortable within the broken dance room she had come to like personally, she was relieved that Phantom was no longer around anymore.

"Is this your hideout?"

Voicing her curiosity, Rinne asked as she was looking around the room.

"Ara, of course."

Kurumi turned to her guest.

"It may not be to your liking, but-"

"No, this is fine enough. I'm already used to being homeless, after all."

Rinne shook her head and cut Kurumi off.

Kurumi smiled at Rinne's acceptance, although coming from **her** , it really didn't mean much.

Considering her personality, Rinne would accept basically anything Kurumi offered.

Therefore, Kurumi decided to mess with her.

"Ara, are you implying that living in this building, one that I personally secured, is no different than living in the streets?"

Kurumi made sure to frown while trying to sound displeased. She had to sound like she was really offended.

Much to Kurumi's internal joy, Rinne' twitched. Her crimson eyes widened in horror.

"Eh, no! I'm not implying that at all! Err, well, maybe I did... but that's unintentional! I'm sorry!"

Seeing how Rinne frantically tried to apologize, Kurumi couldn't stifle her laughter.

"Fufufu... it seems that one year didn't do much to change you, Rinne."

Kurumi nodded smugly, in a way that seemed to convey 'that's you alright'

Realizing that she had been tricked, Rinne huffed at her.

"You are mean."

"I certainly am."

Kurumi replied cheerfully, prompting Rinne to look away with a pout on her face.

 _"...She really hasn't changed. But what about me?"_

The Nightmare Spirit twirled on her heel, turning to gaze to the broken mirror wall behind her.

Much to her surprise, Kurumi was smiling.

Not her usual smirk or even a grin, but it was a genuine, sincere smile.

" _So I am still capable of this, eh?"_

For Kurumi, a lighthearted smile was something she almost lost. An expression of innocence, an expression of purity.

She thought it had disappeared along with her humanity when she received [Emperor of Time (Zafkiel)].

" _But then, this girl appeared..."_ Kurumi glanced at the reflection of Rinne.

Sonogami Rinne. Her fellow Spirit partner, as well as her friend.

Their first encounter was nothing more than coincidence. Kurumi dismissed her as another human, at the time.

She never thought Rinne would become a Spirit.

Kurumi never thought Rinne was someone willing to help her, to achieve her goal.

" _Ah right, speaking of goals..."_

Kurumi closed her eyes and pulled a deep breath, before deciding to change the subject.

She twirled once more to face her partner, this time with a serious expression.

"Rinne, as much as I am trying to be polite, I still need to know what brings you here."

The Nightmare Spirit spoke with a more professional tone, as if they were attending a meeting.

Rinne might be her partner, but that didn't mean they had to be together all the time.

More specifically, Kurumi had told Rinne to operate separately with her to avoid the DEM.

For her to just appear here was... troubling, to say the least.

"Oh, right."

At that, Rinne crossed her arms, and her eyes lost their expressions. Not long after, she began to speak in a tone that was not unlike [Phantom]'s.

"Two reasons... first of all, information."

Rinne listed by raising two of her left fingers.

"Informing me? You can always inform the [Mes] following you."

Kurumi didn't want to assume Rinne had forgotten that, but she stated it regardless.

"There's a problem with that. This is important and I have to tell you as soon as possible. Isaac Westcott is planning something big."

"Something big?"

At the ominous tone Rinne was using, Kurumi raised an eyebrow.

"The man has been moving **every elite Wizards** in his disposal and **all the Spirits** he had captured to this country."

"...Ara? All of them?"

Kurumi was surprised. Now **that** was certainly important.

Moving Wizards here was sensible, considering that Spirits appeared mostly around Japan. But Kurumi couldn't fathom any purpose for moving captured Spirits here.

" _Are they planning to release them, like they did with the Second Spirit?"_

Rinne was right. This was something they couldn't take lightly.

"Isn't he overdoing it?"

"Not only that. I heard they were preparing to launch military fleets to space."

Kurumi was even more surprised.

"Sending fleets to outer space? They have no reason to do so unless they are planning for some orbital attacks, or..."

"A Spirit was found there."

The Nightmare Spirit became fascinated.

A Spirit, isolating herself in outer space? That was certainly new. She had never encountered a Spirit like that in her life.

Kurumi's interest was piqued, but there were more pressing issues right now.

"Is that it for the first reason?"

"Not exactly, I still have-"

Kurumi raised her hand, prompting Rinne to stop.

"Let me guess. The second reason is about Shido-san."

Kurumi frowned slightly with accusation, but Rinne only smiled wide.

"Hump. You know me very well."

Rinne let out a chuckle, while Kurumi merely rolled her eyes, as if saying 'I knew it'.

"It's just easy to guess. Otherwise you wouldn't have played [that lyre] to call me."

"Hee hee, so you did notice how I cleared the people around our meeting."

Kurumi resisted the urge to groan seeing Rinne merely confirmed her worries with a casual tone.

The lack of people around the area they met wasn't natural. It was caused by her partner.

" _She had already started the plan... what an idiot. Did she forget the schedule?"_

It was then Kurumi's turn to cross her arms, glaring at her partner.

Kurumi was not going to let Rinne hear the end of this.

"I thought we went over this last year. Your plan's schedule is already set."

"I know we did, but I'm getting impatient."

"Impatience? Is that your reason for rushing here like an idiot?"

"This is for the best. Who knows what will DEM do while we are wasting our time? They have omniscience now, Kurumi!"

Rinne raised her tone slightly, emphasizing the last point. Slightly surprised, Kurumi stopped to think.

It was true, Kurumi supposed. With that Angel -no, that **Demon King** \- Isaac Westcott could know everything about their intentions and locations.

That meant, DEM could easily wreck whatever plan they had.

Although fortunately, anything related to Phantom couldn't be read by [Rasiel].

Because the entity was deeply connected with both Kurumi and Rinne in the past, their backgrounds were effectively sealed from being read by [Beelzebub].

With that in mind, Kurumi voiced her opinion.

"Then what do you expect us to do? There's no way to interfere with their omniscience. We simply have to overcome them with brute force."

"No, there is a way. Honjou-san can help."

Once again, Kurumi was surprised at the mention of the Second Spirit's name.

"Ara? What about her? She survived, what can she achieve with her sorry state?"

"I think you should know about this better than I do. Rasiel and Beelzebub shouldn't exist simultaneously, should they?"

Kurumi thought about it for a moment, before coming to a realization.

"Wait, paradox? Is that what you are saying?"

"Bingo. According to my observation on their states, both Rasiel and Beelzebub are currently restricting the omniscience of each other because of it."

Kurumi widened her eyes in surprise.

"Seriously? Why don't you inform me of that sooner?"

"Well... I was about to, until you stopped me."

Poking her own chin with her finger, Kurumi thought about the new information for a moment.

"Ara, I see. If we involve ourselves with Shido-san, the current owner of Rasiel, the resulting paradox would interfere with information about us, right?"

"Which you already did. All that's left is for me to involve myself with you, which is precisely what I'm doing right now."

Suddenly, everything made full circle. Kurumi could make sense of everything Rinne had been doing.

"...So it's for that reason you came here."

"But of course! And since I'm already here, it won't hurt to execute my [War] much earlier than schedule, right?"

Rinne let out a victorious smirk, knowing that she won this argument.

Kurumi sighed - this was probably one of those days.

"As you wish, then."

As if waiting for that response, Rinne grinned with an all-too-wide, excited smile.

Not expecting that, Kurumi's mood brightened

"Ara ara, don't be so excited. You are not going to start right away, aren't you?"

"Of course not. I don't want to interrupt his studies, after all."

Hearing that, Kurumi grinned, and widened her arms playfully.

"Well, it's been a year since we last met. We have to wait for him, so why don't we have fun like last time?"

Rinne's eyes widened, as if that was unexpected.

"That's fine by me. But, Kurumi?"

All of a sudden, Rinne's eyes seemed to be saddened.

Kurumi was caught off-guard by that. As her concern kicked in, she immediately replied.

"Yes?"

"You still remember... what to do while I'm here, right?"

It only took Kurumi half a second to understand what Rinne meant.

" _Yeah... I promised her that."_

For Kurumi, no matter how many times she saw it, that look stabbed her in the heart.

Kurumi knew better than anyone that trying to get closer to her, of all Spirits, was not the easiest thing to do.

No one wanted to be friends with a killer, especially if it was a psychotic little girl that killed people with very vague motivations.

But Rinne didn't give up.

Just like a certain someone, she never wanted to leave her alone in the dark.

Unlike that certain someone however, Rinne understood that she couldn't be saved. At least, not yet.

And so, until the time came for her to be saved, Rinne would be Kurumi's partner. That's why she became her friend. Her only friend, in fact.

However, that didn't mean Rinne agreed with Kurumi's methods. Therefore, whenever they worked together, the two of them had agreed on one thing.

That the Nightmare Spirit would have to feed on her Spirit energy, and no one else's.

 _"Come to think about it, the true reason I pushed her away to work separately from her was... to avoid doing that, wasn't it?"_

* * *

In the school, Shido found it hard to concentrate studying.

Not when he knew that Kurumi might be lurking around.

Even after the school had ended, while he, Tohka, Origami, Kaguya and Yuzuru were walking home, Shido didn't let his guard down.

Turned out he was right. Ratatoskr was having a maintenance. But they did manage to boot up their system in time to catch Kurumi's signature.

However, she was only detected for the few minutes the City of Devouring Time was active. As it faded away, so did Kurumi's signature.

 _"_ _Just what she is up to, this time around?"_

Kurumi had always been the unpredictable type, but to activate and deactivate her life sucking barrier in rapid succession felt abnormal, even for her.

" _And what about the other one?"_

Shido recalled the music he heard. It was definitely a Spirit's doing.

But when he asked his sister about it, she said Ratatoskr didn't pick up any Spirit wavelength besides Kurumi's.

" _Then what did I hear?"_

Shido could still feel it. The calming, warm, and most of all... nostalgic feeling the music gave.

As Shido was deep in thought, he didn't realize that Origami had been pulling his sleeves since a few moments ago.

"Eh?"

Shido finally realized that he was spacing out and looked behind.

Origami was holding a piece of paper. On it was written, 'May we talk?'.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry sorry! Yeah, you guys may talk until we reach home."

Shido tried to hide his worries, but it seemed the white-haired girl couldn't be fooled.

"Are you worried about Tokisaki Kurumi?"

That was very blunt.

Shido couldn't help but think about that.

"...Yeah."

Knowing that it was pointless to hide it, Shido answered after sighing.

"Advice. You shouldn't think about it too much."

From behind Origami, Yuzuru popped her head and said that.

Shido was almost annoyed by that. But Yuzuru didn't know about Kurumi, so he had to be patient.

"You may say that, but-"

Before Shido could argue, he was cut off.

"Don't worry, Shido. We heard it from your redheaded baby sister that this Kurumi girl is dangerous. But no worries, there isn't a single Spirit that you couldn't conquer and no danger ahead could get past us to harm you!"

Kaguya said lightly while crossing her hands behind her head ahead of Shido, without even glancing at him.

"You..."

Shido was speechless.

"Shido, you didn't fail with her. Your success was just delayed."

Suddenly, Shido could feel something warm from behind him.

To be exact, Origami lightly hugged Shido from behind and whispered to his ears.

"Tobiichi Origami is right. Shido, Tokisaki Kurumi isn't beyond saving. Not if you, are the savior."

In front of him, Tohka turned to him and said that, all while she was smiling.

Shido was beyond speechless.

 _"_ _Everyone..."_

His heart felt warm.

They didn't want him to feel alone in this.

He could tell how much these girls cared for him.

 _"_ _I couldn't be spacing out if you guys are giving this much, could I?"_

"Okay!"

Shido decided something.

"Huh?"

"Everyone, silence."

The instant Shido said that, the four Spirits closed their mouths and surrounded Shido like obedient servants.

"Now is the moment where the competition is truly on."

Shido crossed his arms.

"I'll call Miku to our house tonight so all of you will be able to compete. Remember. I'll only accept one for the date tomorrow. Are you girls ready?"

Emulating the doujin version of him, Shido smirked to the girls around him.

As he expected, the sudden change in Shido's behavior almost caught all the girls off-guard.

But, they managed to nod firmly, knowing the battle that was upon them.

Just as they refocused their attention forward however, Shido noticed something across the street.

Two girls were walking to the direction of Raizen High School. One girl had long, black hair tied into twin-tails, and clad in a black dress. While the other had short, light pink hair, and wore a pink see-through blouse with a blue skirt.

Both of them were really beautiful, but for Shido, their faces were more than familiar.

"Ku, Kurumi... Phantom..."

Unconsciously, he mumbled their names.

Shido remembered that, back in his time travel trip, Phantom's form was the same with the girl that was now standing beside Kurumi.

Her clothes were different, but Shido couldn't mistake her for anyone else since her face was oddly familiar to him.

Hearing Shido's words, the four girls behind him audibly tensed up.

Meanwhile, on the other side, both girls noticed them as well.

"Ara, Shido-san."

Kurumi greeted by slightly bowing her head, while the other girl looked their way, but kept silent.

"I wanted to see you in your school, but you found me instead. Such a gentleman."

Kurumi held her own cheeks with a light blush.

Shido almost blushed at that, but he knew Kurumi was just trying to tease him.

"What are you doing here, Kurumi? And you..."

Shido wanted to say something, but words failed to form.

He really didn't know what to say to 'Phantom' after their last meeting.

However, all of a sudden-

The two girls across the street immediately separated.

"Huh!?"

The 'Phantom' was running towards the school, while Kurumi ran towards the opposite direction.

 _"_ _Crap, they separated! Now I can only chase one of them..."_

Shido cursed himself for lowering his guard.

But then he remembered that he had four Spirits behind him. He could have them following either. The problem was which one would he follow.

"Everyone, follow whoever I'm not chasing!"

As Shido ordered that, he bit his lip, forcing himself to think.

 _"_ _Kurumi? Or Phantom?"_

He had to decide quickly. He had no time, or else both of them would get away.

But, at that moment.

"...Eh?"

His vision suddenly flickered, like a camera that had an error.

Several times, each time only for an instant, his vision was replaced with something else.

An infinite void.

Somewhere he was alone.

A voice that called him.

The dream that he had this morning.

 _"_ _Don't forget about me. Promise me, Itsuka Shido."_

And at that moment, anger instantly clouded his mind.

 _"Damn it! Not now!"_

"...AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

He ran towards the school with all the strength he had.

* * *

 **There you go! How was it? State whatever opinions you have in the reviews!**

 **Note: You may notice that here, Rinne is a human-turned Spirit instead of sentient Spirit energy. It will be explained much later unfortunately, be patient until that chapter comes.**

 **Thank you for following the development of "Alternate Reincarnation" so far!**


	3. Feelings from Beyond the Boundary

**A** **/N** **:** **Hello again! Welcome to Alternate Reincarnation Chapter 3, "** **Feelings from Beyond the Boundary** **".**

 **Not much to say, except for the fact that this chapter was also a remake of the original version** **.**

* * *

The quiet evening after school had turned into a hot pursuit as four Spirits were trying to capture one.

"Hey! Don't think you can escape us, the Sisters of Wind!"

"Declaration. You won't be getting anywhere!"

"Tokisaki Kurumi. It's time for you to wake up from your nightmare!"

"Kurumi! We will capture you for Shido!"

Each of them declared firmly. It was crystal clear they were not going to let Kurumi got away easily.

At the other end of the chase however, Kurumi seemed to be more annoyed by their voices rather than the fact that she was pursued.

"Such noisy girls..."

Despite the situation at hand, Kurumi didn't appear troubled at all. Rather, she was smiling.

"Heh _._ "

Kurumi chuckled as she looked behind at the four pursuers.

It was Rinne's plan to visit the school during the evening to set up an 'accidental meeting' with Shido.

They would then separate, gambling whether Shido would go after her or Kurumi. If he went after Rinne, then the plan was a success. If he went after Kurumi, they would switch to the plan B.

Kurumi was almost sure that they would have to use plan B, in which Rinne would summon a spacequake to draw Shido out directly.

She didn't like to make gambles and take risks in her plans, so she thought plan A was doomed to fail. But to her surprise, plan A worked without a hitch.

" _Why was he screaming, though? It's not like him."_ Kurumi wondered.

Kurumi then looked around. There was no civilian around, and they were in the middle of a car-free street.

Seeing the ideal condition, Kurumi laughed and stopped, prompting the four Spirits to stop a few meters behind her as well.

"[Elohim]!"

As she shouted the name of her Astral Dress, Kurumi's body was surrounded by darkness. In less than a few seconds, her black dress turned into crimson-red and black, and her uneven twin-tails returned.

"Sorry, but you'll have to let me escape, I will get somewhere, I still want to sleep within my nightmare, and you'll not catch me for Shido-san."

Kurumi replied to each one of their declarations with a wide, mocking grin forming in her face. Simultaneously, a huge golden clock appeared behind her.

Although usually they would come up with a reply, the four Spirits only kept silent as the Nightmare Spirit mocked them.

Seeing the unusual sight of her opposition's silence, Kurumi actually became curious about what happened inside their heads.

 _"Have they learned from experience not to piss me off?"_

After a moment, Kurumi decided that fleeing the scene was a better choice of action.

"Good bye, everyone. I hope we will meet again, soon~" Kurumi smirked.

Putting her ancient pistol to her temples, Kurumi chanted.

"[Zafkiel]. [First Bullet (Aleph)]."

And by pulling the trigger of the time acceleration bullet, the Nightmare Spirit disappeared.

* * *

" _What is this feeling?"_

" _I never feel like this before."_

" _When I ran after her that day in the past, I didn't feel like this..._ _did I?"_

" _Is that girl really_ _[_ _Phantom_ _]_ _? Something feels different."_

" _But, what exactly?"_

* * *

Shido found himsef returning to the Raizen High School.

The school wasn't empty yet. A few students could still be seen talking to each other at the entrance and in front of shoe lockers, and the teachers obviously hadn't returned to their homes at this hour. Nothing seemed out of place, nothing out of the ordinary.

But something was wrong.

The girl Shido was pursuing after couldn't possibly enter the school without being spotted. Her attractive appearance and suggestive clothing couldn't pass through unnoticed. But the behavior of the students made it seem she didn't even go here.

" _It's weird..._ _I clearly saw her went in."_

Shido tensed up. Before, Phantom disappeared to the sky as easily as Kurumi disappearing through the shadows. If she really wanted to, she could just do the same trick to escape Shido again.

However, the girl just now didn't do that. Neither did Kurumi. That meant they **wanted** Shido to go after either of them. As for which one they wanted him to follow, he couldn't know.

Regardless, Shido knew that following either of them without the [Ratatoskr] backing him up was very dangerous.

He didn't bring the communicator device with him. Kotori would probably yell at him again when he returned home tonight... if he returned.

But, the strange feeling within his heart urged him to go on.

Shido quickly changed his shoes at the shoe lockers and entered the school building.

He had no idea where the girl was, but since he didn't see her outside, it was more likely that she was inside the school somewhere.

" _But, where?"_

Shido finally began to think calmly after his short-lived anger a few minutes ago.

"Raizen High is a large school two main buildings. Finding someone there isn't going to be easy." He uttered words of discouragement to himself.

However, as he said that, a familiar music was heard.

"Eh?"

It was heard again. The music from this morning.

Shido panicked. The Spirit from this morning chose now to play her music again? While he was chasing Phantom?

Then a thought crossed his mind. Could it be... Phantom was the Spirit who played this?

Once again, the blue-haired boy concentrated to the music on the background. The melody came from...

"The rooftop!"

* * *

As Shido climbed the stairs of Raizen, he could tell something was wrong.

Logically, when you walked closer to something, then any sound that thing produced should become louder.

However, the music he heard was constant. It didn't sound any different from earlier, even as he got closer.

" _It violates logic and sense... I suppose that's a Spirit for you."_

Taking a deep breath, he slowly pushed the door that led to the rooftop.

"Huh?" Shido gasped.

There she was. However, Shido's attention was on the things around her.

The girl didn't look any different from earlier. However, a large, black circle was accompanying her behind her back, very similar to how Kurumi summoned her Zafkiel.

Unlike Zafkiel though, the circle appeared just like the Spacequakes: a hole in the fabric of reality. Shido couldn't see what's inside.

In the girl's hands, she was carrying what Shido recognized to be a purple colored lyre, strumming it gently.

" _What are those?_ _Could it be_ _..._ _h_ _er Angel?"_

Not knowing what to say, Shido didn't say a word until the girl finally broke the silence between them.

"Welcome, Itsuka Shido." She said as she stopped playing.

Shido watched as the strings reach out from her lyre, extend in length, and began to move rhythmically around her.

Even though she had stopped playing, the music continued, as if the strings gained a will on their own.

He could tell as much, it was similar to Origami's [Angel of Extinction (Metatron)] and [Demon King of Salvation (Satan)].

The girl seemed to notice Shido's unease, and spoke once more.

"Don't worry about these little kids. They are just protective of me."

The girl smiled at Shido, before calmly closed her eyes and continued.

"I have a lot of things to talk about with you... but I suppose you wanted to say a few words to me first?"

Shido was surprised at that.

" _She... is giving me the chance to talk first?"_

There were so many things he wanted to say. Or, to be exact, to ask Phantom.

But Shido had to ask one thing first.

"Who are you?"

It was the girl's turn to widen her eyes in surprise. The lyre strings around her froze and the music stopped.

After a moment, the girl asked back in disbelief.

"Who am I? Didn't you just recognize me as, you know, Phantom?"

"I thought so at first. But... I don't know, you are just... different."

Shido tried to explain, but he couldn't word it any better than that.

The girl appeared to consider that for a moment, before replying.

"Very well then. That makes it easier for me to explain."

"Th-then, who are you?"

"Do you still remember what Phantom said to you, when Kurumi shot you with [Twelfth Bullet (Yud Bet)]?"

Shido gasped.

" _How did she know that I talked to Phantom during the time travel? Did Kurumi tell her?"_

"I still remember. Phantom said she was... wait, don't tell me you are...?"

"Well, as you can see, she is using **my** appearance."

The girl sighed at the last part. Shido could understand that.

It was not amusing when Natsumi copied his form.

"I see..."

" _So this girl really isn't Phantom..."_ Shido thought.

Knowing that he wasn't dealing with the real Phantom, Shido's mind felt somewhat at ease. However, he suddenly had so many questions within his head.

Who was she? Why was she walking with Kurumi? No, more importantly, why did she brought him here?

"Can I... have your name, then?" Shido asked the first and foremost question.

The girl twitched.

She immediately looked away, as if Shido just did something repulsive.

"What's wrong?"

"No, I... I can't tell you my name."

Shido raised an eyebrow at that.

"Huh? Why?"

"It's..."

Hesitating, the girl's expression became increasingly anxious.

Shido only became confused. Was telling your name that difficult?

After a few moments, the girl let out a long sigh, mumbled 'I can do this' under her breath, before answering.

"My name is Sonogami Rinne. Nice to meet you, Itsuka Shido."

At that moment.

A feeling he couldn't describe began to fill his heart.

"Those words..."

" _Sonogami..._ _Rinne..."_

Shido had never heard the name.

Or, did he? He never had any memory of his childhood.

Regardless, the name echoed within his head like a scream in the midst of valley.

Refusing to disappear, just like his dream this morning.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Shido, the girl in front of him wasn't in a state of mind any different than himself.

Feeling her heart beating faster with every second, Rinne put her hand on her chest.

" _This feeling..._ _it's the same as three years ago."_

Rinne still remembered clearly, when Kurumi first mentioned the name Itsuka Shido.

Her mind was intrigued. Her heart felt like it was possessed by something.

It's not that it was indescribable. Rinne could tell what she was feeling. The problem was she didn't understand why would she feel such a thing for someone she hadn't even met before.

A longing desire. A yearning heart.

Rinne denied that three years ago.

She didn't want to give in to the alien instinct. Why would she?

How could she feel that for some boy she didn't even know before? It was irrational.

However, she changed her mind once she realized the consequences of denying.

Every time Kurumi mentioned the name, Rinne felt it again. Less haunting, but still very discomforting.

Two years of that and Rinne was almost driven mad. She couldn't stand that anymore. She had to know **how** , and **why**.

" _I have to... do this!"_

* * *

Overwhelmed by feelings, Shido didn't say a word. Luckily or not, Rinne didn't seem to be responsive at the moment either.

" _What is this?"_

For the first time in his life, Shido felt something alien.

" _What am I experiencing? What's happening to me?"_

Shido couldn't tell. He couldn't understand.

" _What is this feeling?!"_

Shido wanted to scream, but words didn't leave his throat.

Before long, though, Rinne again broke the silence.

"Shido..." Rinne whispered.

"Ye, yeah?" Shido wasn't ready to talk. Not right away.

"You are aware of it, right? That I brought you here on purpose?"

"...Yes. Actually, I wanted to ask you why, but..."

He was not in any condition to think properly right now. He couldn't ask.

"I came to this city because I want to request you something..."

Rinne's voice became more uncontrolled, dripping with embarrassment.

"Request? Me?"

Shido didn't know what kind of request she would ask, but for reasons unknown he felt that he could accept it already.

"You know, it may be sudden... I mean, we just meet today and all, but..."

She stopped mid-sentence for a deep breath.

"It, it's part of your job, right? I mean, you keep on asking girls out of the blue..."

Shido was not dense enough to not understand what Rinne meant with that shy stammering words.

"Would you go out on a date with me?"

Rinne finally said.

Another silence fell upon them.

She gave a sudden request. She was asking for the impossible.

Tonight he had a competition he had to attend. Tomorrow he would date the victor.

This request came from a Spirit who appeared out of nowhere, walked together with the Nightmare Spirit, and had her appearance used by Phantom. He knew how dangerous accepting the date would be.

But he couldn't refuse.

Something told him not to.

"Yes. I would love to."

Surprised by his answer, Rinne's eyes widened.

"Wh, what? You really will?"

He noticed that Rinne had some problems believing what she heard just now.

He didn't blame her. Shido himself didn't believe that he just said the word.

But he had his reasons to accept.

Every single Spirit popped out of nowhere.

Kurumi was dangerous. But there wasn't a single Spirit who didn't threaten his life's safety.

Phantom might have something to do with Rinne, but then again, so did every Spirit.

For him, there was no reason to refuse a chance to save a Spirit.

" _They would understand."_

"Yeah. It's a chance to save you. I won't refuse it."

At his words, Rinne's lips curved into the smallest frown he ever knew, he barely could see it at all.

"I didn't say it was to save me. I want to date you for my own reasons."

Just like Kurumi. Obviously, Rinne had her own objective. But-

"It doesn't matter. You asked me for a date, and I will use it to save you."

"Are you sure? You won't go to Ratatoskr first? You won't ask for your sister's permission?"

Rinne shot her a questioning look, clearly not believing what he said.

"She will understand my choice! If she doesn't, I will make her understand!"

Shido wasn't even surprised that she knew about Kotori and the Ratatoskr. He didn't care at this point.

"You might die, you know? You saw that Kurumi and I are at least allies working together. This whole date might be our plan for her to eat you."

He didn't know why Rinne warned him about that, but that wouldn't stop him.

"Maybe. But if you really set this date up for her to eat me, that's good. I will get another shot at saving her, and I can save you too."

Shido said unhesitatingly.

"You... why?"

Rinne was at a loss of words. However, Shido had resolved to do this since the very beginning.

"Because I want to save you. That's all."

"..."

Rinne fell silent. She couldn't come up with an argument.

"Anyway..."

"Eh?"

"I have a lot of things I want to ask you. Your reason to date me. About me. Everything."

Shido's eyes met Rinne's. He wanted to show Rinne how serious he was.

As if overwhelmed by his gaze, the strings around Rinne began to twitch uncontrollably as she turned around, facing the dark hole behind her.

"...I can understand how you have so many girls following you."

"Urg?"

Shido was confused, but Rinne ignored that.

"Very well then."

She turned around to face Shido once more, her expression gentle.

"Since you accepted, I believe you will need some time to prepare yourself. We would meet here tomorrow, after the school had ended. Is that okay?"

"That's fine with me."

Shido was actually relieved. He said all that, but he clearly was not ready to go now.

"Then, is it a promise?"

Rinne extended her hand toward Shido.

Shido appeared to be hesitating for a moment, but then he smiled.

"It's a promise, Rinne."

As the two held each other hand-in-hand, Rinne closed her eyes. Shido too followed suit, as the familiar, yet unrecognizable feelings returned.

 _"_ _Have we met somewhere before_ _?"_

As he tightened his grip on her hand, the girl yelped.

"Ah!"

Realizing what he had done, Shido quickly opened his eyes and found a pair of brown eyes staring at him, flustered and trembling.

"I, I'm sorry!" Shido said quickly.

"It, it's fine..." Rinne replied weakly.

As if not wanting to embarrass herself further, the girl continued.

"Then, I hope you'll excuse me..."

"Huh?"

"[Fate Shaman (Cassiel)]!"

As she mentioned the name, Rinne threw the lyre on her hand to the the hole behind her.

Right after that, the hole gradually disappeared in a few seconds.

"Eh?"

After the hole was gone, Rinne's figure too, began to fade.

Seeing the girl before him fading away, Shido's eyes widened in shock.

Not because she was about to disappear, but because once again a feeling of dejavu had hit him.

" _What is this? I think..._ _I've seen this before."_

Before she disappeared completely, Rinne turned at Shido.

What came after was the warmest smile Shido had ever seen, and words that pierced his heart.

"See you again, Itsuka Shido. Please, don't forget about our promise."

"Huh? Ah, yeah..."

Unable to properly find the right words to respond, Shido was stunned. He merely stared at Rinne's figure disappearing into light.

And there she went. Not a single trace of her was left. Shido still stared at the space that was occupied by her a few moments ago.

Coming to his senses, Shido began to feel his eyes were wet.

"Eh? Tears?"

 _"Why am I crying?"_

Shido questioned himself as he stared into the empty space.

* * *

 **There you go. Tell me in the reviews about anything you want to say about this chapter.**

 **If you are wondering, Rinne's Angel, Cassiel, is not an angel from the Tree of Life like the Angels of other Spirits. Its name meant 'Speed of God', but that's not why I chose the name.**

 **Cassiel is also the Archangel of solitude and tears, and also the angel who falls in** **love** **with mankind. You'll see why I gave her** **that.** **After all, every Spirit's Angels fit perfectly with their powers/traits.**

 **Thanks you for following the developments of "Alternate Reincarnation" so far!**


	4. When Their Hearts Collide

**A/N: Hello there, readers! This is the last of the updated chapters, Chapter 4 "When Their Hearts Collide".**

 **Not much else to say, except for the fact that I haven't finished Chapter 9 yet. I'm sorry...**

* * *

"Okay. So, in conclusion...you met two Spirits when you were walking home just now."

Kotori's voice felt off. It was like she was trying to hold something back.

"...Yeah."

Knowing what would happen to him, Shido only nodded nervously.

Shido had just informed his sister of what happened when he went home from school today. Right now, Kotori was summarizing his report.

Unfortunately for Shido, she didn't appear to be amused by his actions.

"They are Kurumi and someone who looked like [Phantom]."

"...Yeah."

"They suddenly separated, so you decided to go after the Phantom lookalike, leaving the others to chase Kurumi. Without bringing the communicator device with you."

"...Yeah."

"You followed the doppelganger all the way to the school, where she introduced herself as Sonogami Rinne. She claimed she isn't Phantom and requested you to go for a date with her tomorrow."

"...Yeah."

"She then proceeded to tell you that she knows about your ability to seal Spirit powers, the fact that [Ratatoskr] has been helping you, and also said that she was Kurumi's ally."

"...Yeah."

"And you accepted the date, regardless."

"...Yeah."

"ARE YOU INSANE!?"

"Bu, but..!"

As Kotori's built-up anger finally burst out in three loud words, Shido didn't get a chance to make an argument.

"Think, Shido, think! Kurumi is out for your blood, and she brought another Spirit with her this time! And you just went there like a sheep running toward a pack of wolves!"

Kotori yelled as she held her big brother's body and pushed him to a wall.

"Wa, wait, Kotori, calm down-"

"No, you should calm down and think just what you are trying to do this time. Those two are targeting you! Can't you see that!?"

Shido's pleas to calm Kotori down was ignored as her grip on his body tightened.

For a moment, silence filled the atmosphere between the foster siblings. Their eyes were directed at each other, and not a single sound was uttered.

But Shido didn't need that to tell what his sister was thinking. He knew very well that Kotori's anger was born of worry. It was not unreasonable. If anything, he was the one unreasonable in this situation.

" _But... even so, I..."_

Shido had made up his mind. He won't run away from any of his missions. Especially this one.

"Kotori... I-" Shido was cut off again.

"Don't say things like 'my life is always in danger' or stuff like that. None of those girls seriously meant to kill you. Even if some did want to destroy you, their intentions were fleeting emotions. It is not the case with Kurumi." Kotori said in annoyance.

"I am aware of that... but you also realized it, right?"

As Shido said that, Kotori raised a brow, clearly expecting him to explain.

"If Kurumi really wants to, she will do it. Kill me, I mean."

It was true. Kurumi would have eaten Shido a thousand times over by now if she really wanted to do so since that day on the school rooftop.

Of course, Kurumi letting him be for now was no reason to trust her, but seeing her willingness to help him twice to save Origami, Shido couldn't help but began to trust her.

At that, Kotori's expression became more melancholic.

"I know. It scares me sometimes... I know she is there, somewhere. But I can't do anything about her. On the contrary, she can do anything, to anyone, anytime. Doesn't it scare you, too?"

"Maybe more than you. I am her target, after all."

Shido laughed nervously. He said that he was going to save Kurumi, no matter what. But he was also human, the thought of death instilled him with fear, he couldn't deny that.

"Then why-"

"That's exactly why. If I continue to fear her shadows, then she will never be saved. If I won't save her, who will?"

It was Shido's turn to cut Kotori off. However, while Shido questioned his sister, the question was also directed at his own resolve.

"That's..."

They both knew the answer. None.

Shido decided to continue.

"Besides, I don't think Kurumi will interrupt this date. Rinne said that the date was for her own reasons."

"She might be lying. To be frank, I can barely believe any of her words."

Shido was surprised at Kotori's very open distrust.

"If she is aware of the Ratatoskr, then it's likely she only wanted to lower our guard against her. And, if she is even willing to be allies with someone like Kurumi, then it's likely she has a similar moral compass. That is, non-existent."

"Rinne isn't that kind of person!"

Suddenly, Shido raised his tone in anger.

What came after was silence, for a few moments.

"Eh?"

Both of them said simultaneously, dumbfounded.

Shido's sudden burst of anger surprised Kotori just as much as it surprised himself.

" _Eh? What am I saying?"_

" _I just met Rinne today. I know nothing about her. Why am I defending her like that?"_

Confused, Shido averted his eyes from Kotori's gaze.

"Shido, what happened to you?"

Kotori questioned. She knew something wasn't right, and Shido knew that too.

"Uh, I... I'm sorry. That came out wrong."

Not knowing what he was saying, Shido apologized.

As Shido noticed from Kotori's gaze, questions and suspicions were growing.

Her hands let him go, and Kotori took out her Chupa Chups.

Shido knew that she was thinking about something. She clearly was going to-

"Speaking of which...you didn't explain your conversation with this Rinne very well."

Interrogate him.

Shido hesitated to answer.

"I told you everything just now, didn't I?"

"You did, but only the important points. I'm asking to tell me everything. Every detail. Besides her music and her Angel, what else you found?"

Hearing such a specific question, Shido became silent, thinking.

" _Should I tell her?"_ Shido questioned himself.

Shido omitted a few facts from his report just now. He didn't say a word about the strange feeling he felt when he was around Rinne, nor the tears he shed when she disappeared.

He didn't intend to hide it. However, those were things he couldn't explain at all, especially the latter. They would only make Kotori worried more than she already did right now. Shido didn't want that.

That being said, he was not willing to make any lies, either. If his sister asked, then he would answer, truthfully and without hiding anything.

"Well..."

Once again, Shido thought about what he was experiencing today with Rinne.

" _Just what happened to me today?"_ Shido asked himself in frustration.

"...It's complicated."

Shido took a deep breath, beginning his explaination.

"What do you mean? Elaborate."

"It's just..."

Shido hesitated, but he went on.

"I don't seem to be myself when I'm around her. When she smiled and introduced her name, I felt... strange."

He knew he should not use vague words, but Shido couldn't come up with a better way of wording it.

"The next moment, I found myself unable to think clearly. I could feel my heart beating faster than it should, but I don't know why."

As Shido explained, Kotori's eyes widened. She stopped chewing the Chupa Chups.

"When she asked me to date her tomorrow, something urged me to accept. I felt... something about her... felt different."

He paused, reminiscing the hazy, yet very strong feelings he had.

"Yeah, something was obviously different. Different from any Spirit I've ever met. And when she held my hand..."

Shido stopped, struggling to find the right words to describe.

"I felt like I was possessed... by feelings that I can't understand." Shido finally said.

Kotori's expression changed. The anger and worry she displayed had disappeared.

It was replaced by pure shock.

"Shido, don't tell me..." Kotori whispered.

"What? You can explain about it?" Shido certainly hoped someone could explain about it.

"You..." Kotori hesitated.

"Are you in love with her?"

A question he never even dreamed before hit him like a truck.

"Wh... what are you talking about!?"

Shido said in denial. Without realizing, his face became red.

Kotori was silent. She merely stared at her brother in disbelief.

"Kotori, that's a bad joke. I can't possibly fall in love with a girl the day I met her, can I?"

However, inside his mind, he began to ask the same question to himself.

" _I am... in love with Rinne?"_

" _No, it's impossible. Love at first sight only exists within Yoshino's TV shows. It can't possibly happen in real life."_

" _But... how else could I explain this?"_

" _That warmth, that nervousness... is that how love is supposed to feel?"_

" _Can love explain the familiarity I felt? No, it can't. And I'm not in love with her!"_

" _But..."_

Shido was deep in thought. He didn't realize that the girl in front of him was seeing through his eyes.

* * *

Kotori couldn't believe it.

Shido was her big brother for ten years.

She knew him better than anyone.

She knew it was impossible for him to fall in love with a stranger. Let alone at first sight.

He might be a little too overprotective towards Spirits, but not in that kind of way. Not like this.

However, it was reality.

"Shido..."

Kotori called out his name in a low voice.

However, there was no response. Shido was not listening.

"...Hey Shido!"

"Eh!? Sorry! What?"

Yelling this time, Kotori managed to snap Shido back to his senses, and he returned her gaze.

However, from his stare alone, Kotori could tell that his mind was still elsewhere.

Gritting her teeth, Kotori held back her feelings.

"Shido, I will allow it."

"Eh?"

Kotori tried to keep her voice even and professional.

She couldn't allow her big brother to know what she was feeling now.

"I will allow you to date her tomorrow. Me and the crew of Fraxinus will help you like usual."

"..."

She didn't want to continue the conversation. Kotori hoped Shido understood that much.

Shido appeared to be thinking for a moment, before he made a wry smile.

"Thanks, Kotori."

For some reason, Kotori knew that smile meant mutual agreement.

Shido needed to think about this as well.

"Humph!"

With a huff, Kotori turned around and went to the door leading outside.

"Hmm? Where are you going? It's dark already."

The redhead smiled a bit. It seemed that Shido's big brother instinct could still kick in, even after their argument.

Kotori glanced back at him.

"I need some fresh air. I have to prepare the plan for your date tomorrow, after all."

"Ah...okay."

Shidi seemed to get the message not to pry on her thoughts further.

Kotori was about to walk out, but then she recalled something.

"Oh yeah, Shido. Don't forget to call Miku for tonight. The competition isn't called off just because of this."

"Roger that."

At her reminder, Shido quickly reached for his phone.

As Shido called Miku, Kotori went outside.

* * *

After she was outside, Kotori gazed up to the dark sky.

"It's nighttime already, huh."

Seeing as no one was around, Kotori took off her black ribbons.

She held the ribbons tight on both of her hands.

"I must meet... that Spirit."

* * *

The day had passed, and the night had arrived.

During this time, few to no people would ever visit what would arguably be the creepiest place in the whole city.

The cemetery.

"That was quite a show, wasn't it, Rinne?"

"Was it? I think it was the most awkward first meeting ever."

Already clad in their crimson red-black and purple-gold Astral Dresses, Kurumi and Rinne chatted while walking in the middle of cemetery.

Most buildings and public areas in the city had shelters for citizens to hide during times of Spacequakes. However, certain public areas, such as graveyards, didn't have such facility, which meant it was much more dangerous for citizens.

Also, lack of shelter meant lack of surveillance by both the AST and the DEM. Combined with people's general fear of graveyard, the place was perfect for people who didn't want to be disturbed by others during their hang out.

"Hee hee... I didn't know you can be so nervous when meeting a boy you love."

"I guess I was not mentally prepared... it has been such a long time since I last interacted with anyone other than you, Kurumi."

Rinne tried to make an excuse, however Kurumi only laughed at her efforts.

"Ha ha ha! You were watching him all this one year, aren't you? That's not an excuse."

"Kuh... okay, you won."

Kurumi's lips curved into a mocking grin as she stared Rinne down. Admitting her defeat, Rinne nervously looked away from her friend's grin.

"Still, it went on just like you predicted."

Kurumi's expression became serious.

"I've never seen Shido-san acting like that before. It seems that your assumptions are right."

Kurumi twirled around as she spoke, moving farther from Rinne as she spun.

"...Yeah. I must have met him, somewhere."

Rinne made a contemplative frown and crossed her arms.

"But how? You know that Shido and I never met before. You even used your [Tenth Bullet (Yod)] on me to confirm it. That person's ability to erase memories can't fool your ability to read the past." Rinne said, referring to Phantom.

"Hmm... there is one possibility..." Kurumi stated while still spinning.

"One possibility?"

"You guys have met before, but not in this timeline. My Yud only allows me to see your past, but not your memories from other timelines."

"Other timelines? But that's impossible. No one can send memories throughout timelines except for you. And you didn't."

Seeing as Rinne made a point, her friend continued to think as she twirled.

However, after a few moments of silence, none of them got any idea.

"I don't think this will get us anywhere." Kurumi stopped spinning.

"You are right..." Rinne answered in frustration.

"Well, rather than fooling around without any reason..."

Kurumi turned her gaze at Rinne.

"Let's have some fun. What should we do tonight?"

"Hum... the night is still young. Should we go somewhere? Since I decided where to go this morning, I think you should decide where to go tonight."

"I guess. Now then..."

Kurumi closed her eyes, obviously thinking about where should they go.

Minutes passed by. Even so, Rinne waited patiently while crossing her arms before her chest.

"Ah, I know. Let's go to a mall."

* * *

"Whoa, it's very crowded." Rinne commented.

It was almost laws of nature that malls would be crowded.

People went there from time to time, for a variety of reasons.

But this time, it was different.

They could hear an anime theme song playing in the midst of the crowd.

Among the crowds, many people also wore weird costumes.

There was an anime festival.

"Of course it would be." Kurumi smiled.

"I see... if there are cosplayers around, we would not stand out that much."

Rinne was right. If there wasn't an anime festival going on, Rinne and Kurumi would probably be the center of attention already. Because Rinne was still clad in her Astral Dress, and while Kurumi wasn't, her appearance would still attract people's attention.

She wore a monotone blouse and a skirt that had laces and frills. Her hair wasn't tied up like she was usually, but in its place she had Alice band decorated with a rose. The exact same clothes she wore five years ago, minus the eyepatch.

As Rinne stared at her partner's attire, she giggled in amusement, much to Kurumi's annoyance.

"Hey, why are you laughing?"

Kurumi asked, annoyed with her partner's giggle. Rinne however, merely laughed more.

"Hee hee... no reason. It's just... after all that talking with your clones whether or not to keep that appearance, you decided to keep it after all."

Rinne explained while pointing at Kurumi's clothes, clearly amused by her antics.

"I don't have a choice. This is an open space with surveillance, and my Astral Dress is well known by the AST. So I had to resort to this..."

"Well, something about it is lacking..."

As Kurumi tried to make an excuse, Rinne inserted her hand into the veil covering her head. Inside, her hand shined faintly, conjuring something.

"Here. It would be perfect."

Rinne took out an eyepatch - clearly conjured from her Spirit mana - and handed it to her.

Seeing this, Kurumi widened her eyes in surprise.

"Haahhh? Are you saying I should use that thing? Do you have any idea how disgraceful this appearance already is? And you are telling me to use that..."

"Shido said it fits you right? Then why not?"

"Huh, unlike you, I'm not buying any of his sweet talk."

"Ha ha, but you said his praise honored you."

"Uh..."

At Rinne's tease, Kurumi was silenced. Her past self from five years ago **did** say that to Shido during the time travel trip.

Kurumi took a look at the eyepatch on Rinne's hand. Then she remembered Shido's praise during the time-travel trip.

" _Well, it wouldn't hurt, I guess."_

Kurumi finally took the eyepatch and wore it on her left eye.

Seeing the past Kurumi in the present, Rinne snickered even more.

This time though, Kurumi was more embarrassed than annoyed.

"Maybe I should not have come here..." Kurumi regretted.

"Hmm, what are you talking about, empress of time...? Going to this place was the perfect idea!" Rinne smiled sarcastically.

Reaching the limit of her patience, Kurumi drew out her shorter gun and twirled it on her hand.

"You know what? Suddenly I feel like I want to shoot someone right now." Kurumi implied her threat.

"Um, Kurumi... don't be angry like that."

Rinne replied with a nervous tone.

"Maybe I went a bit too far. I'm sorry."

Seeing as her partner was sorry, Kurumi decided to let it slide and held Rinne's hand.

"Well, I don't care. Let's have some fun tonight, ruler of fate."

"Ruler of fate? Is that supposed to be a comeback to my joke? Well, it certainly fits me..."

Rinne contemplated as she followed where Kurumi pulled her.

* * *

"What should I buy next?" A voice asked happily in the midst of a crowd.

The voice belonged to a tall, young girl clad in the Grim Reaper's robe.

She carried a staff as long as she was tall with a moon and flower decoration at its top.

If one paid attention, one could tell it was the same decoration as the one on Izayoi Miku's head in her concerts.

"Hee hee... this should be enough to surprise darling..." The girl said.

A few tens of minutes ago, she received a phone call from her darling, saying to come over his house tonight for a competition with the members of his harem.

The competition was simple: a survival match where the one who can keep silent wins.

And there she was. She decided to visit a mall before going off to her darling's house. So that she could buy a few things that would help her attain victory in this competition.

Already carrying a few bags, she had finished both her shopping and her planning in her head.

"I guess it's time to go. I can't have them waiting for me." She said happily as she walked to the mall entrance.

" _I'll win this. I'm undefeated!"_ She thought resolutely.

In her head, she was already imagining the shocked look of her darling and his harem.

Grinning as she walked, she continued to giggle creepily until she reached the mall entrance.

Where she dropped her staff in shock.

"Tha... that's..."

In front of her very eyes, She saw a girl with an eyepatch twirling a gun on her hand.

She was very beautiful. Even the eye-patch suited her very well.

But for her, it was not a stranger.

" _That's the gothic girl who helped darling! Her name was Tokisaki Kurumi, wasn't it?"_ She reminded herself.

Not wanting to be seen, the girl quickly picked up her staff, and went into a shop to hide, her eyes still directed at Kurumi. She noticed that she appeared different.

"What is she doing here? And why is she cosplaying?" She whispered to herself.

The girl continued to watch as Kurumi held the hand of another cosplayer girl and walked together.

"Is that her friend? She had a friend...?" The girl whispered again.

" _At any rate, I should inform darling about this. Tokisaki Kurumi is here, along with someone who might be her friend."_

She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Hello? Darling?"

* * *

 **All done. How was the chapter? Please state your comments in the reviews.**

 **Thank you for following Alternate Reincarnation this far! I'll return with an update very soon!**


	5. Stalking Nightmare & Ruler

**A/N: Welcome back! This is Chapter 5, "Stalking Nightmare & Ruler".**

 **Not much to say, like usual.**

* * *

"Itadakimasu"

Said the various inhabitants of the Itsuka household, beginning their dinnertime.

It was quite a bit later than usual. Since Shido the chef had invited Miku -the only Spirit he had sealed who didn't live near his residence- to come over his house, Shido wanted to wait for her so she could join the dinner.

Unfortunately, she didn't come as quickly as Shido had expected. It was almost half an hour since he called her, and she hadn't shown any signs of being here yet. He didn't mind waiting for some more minutes, but some of the Spirits there certainly would.

Left with little choice, Shido decided to began dinner without Miku.

Despite the various different appetites that the Spirits had, all of them did share something in common. Shido's cooking. However, tonight, they noticed something was different.

"What is this, Shido? This is really delicious!" Tohka exclaimed. She was happier than usual.

"...Is this, pasta?" Origami questioned. She had tasted them before, but this particular food was tastier than any pasta she had tried.

"Yeah. I tested a new recipe, does it taste good?" Shido asked back with a satisfied smile on his face.

"This tastes like the dish served by the angels themselves!" Kaguya said. She was over-dramatic, but she certainly liked this better than Shido's usual dish.

"Praise. This food is on a different class than your usual serve." Yuzuru commented. Not even she was immune to this food's charm.

"Wow..." Speechless as to what should she comment, Natsumi only stared at the food on the plate in amazement.

"It's delicious..." Yoshino commented. "Shido-kun, did you learn to cook better or something?" Yoshinon asked Shido.

Inside Shido's mind, he was very satisfied that the girls liked his food. Because the food today was the result of another hellish training made by his sister.

Since Nia's rescue, Kotori had subjected Shido to various training, just like the ones he suffered through to date the Spirits. Only, it was worse because it was not just dating skills this time.

 _"All of that pays off in the end, huh?"_

Shido then turned his gaze into three empty seats in the room.

Ones that should be occupied by his sister Kotori, the guest Miku, and the newest girl, Nia.

"..."

All of a sudden, he could feel a vibration in his pocket.

"Hmm?"

Knowing that it came from his phone, he quickly drew it out and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Darling?"

Shido knew the owner of this voice. Izayoi Miku, the Spirit he had been waiting.

Usually, her voice would sound more affectionate. But this time, she sounded anxious, prompting Shido to get his mental up for some news.

"What's wrong, Miku?"

"Uh, I guess I must first say sorry for being late..." Miku seemed to just recall that she had to come to his house.

"Ah, that's fine with me. But, we had to start dinner without you. Have you eaten something?" Living separately or not, Shido was concerned about the idol's health.

From the phone, Shido could hear a giggle.

Not expecting a laugh, Shido became concerned.

"Miku?"

"Ah, nothing. I just feel happy that you would wait for me. But darling, I can't go there now."

Her voice became ominous now, and she seemed to purposefully keep her voice down.

"Huh? Why?"

"...Maybe you wouldn't believe me, but here, right now, I'm tailing Tokisaki Kurumi."

The news pierced his ears.

"What!?"

Shido tried to keep his voice to a minimum. However, his effort was for nothing as the girls' attention were directed to Shido since he answered the call. He couldn't hide his surprise.

"Did you just say that you are tailing Kurumi? Are you sure that's her?"

Shido spoke normally, revealing the information he heard just now to the Spirits around him.

As they heard the news, all Spirits present in the room gasped in surprise.

"She looked a little different, but I'm sure that's her."

Miku sounded sure that she wouldn't mistake her for anyone else. However, that mafe Shido remember someone.

Sonogami Rinne.

"Is she with someone?" Shido asked again, more nervous this time.

"Yeah. Do you know who is it? I was never told that she had a friend." Miku questioned back.

"I... kind of know her. In any case, Miku, stop following them." Shido's tone became serious.

"...I'm sorry, darling, but I can't." Miku replied, her voice stern.

"Why!? Following them is like following the Grim Reaper themselves! I'll go there and take care of it!"

Shido didn't even want to think what would happen if she was noticed.

"But if I don't follow them, you won't have any means to reach her. Now, I'm in a mall and there is an anime festival right now. Not even you can find them in this kind of crowd."

"But what if you are-" Shido was cut off.

"Darling, are you underestimating me? Following girls without being noticed is my specialty!" Miku proudly exclaimed her 'skills'.

"This isn't just any stalking! The stake is your life!" Shido stood up from his seat in panic.

"I know." Miku took a deep breath.

"Then-"

"Darling, you were the one who saved me. But, do you remember who saved you when I was hunting for your blood with my [Gabriel]?"

Miku questioned bitterly, interjecting once again.

"It was Kurumi..."

Shido's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. Miku clearly still felt guilty about the night of that festival, the Tenou Festival back then in September.

"I hate to admit it, but I owe that girl one. If she didn't help you reach out to me that day, I wouldn't be saved, would I? So darling, please. I want to help you save her."

"Uh..."

He stopped himself as he realized that this was the kind of conversation he had with Kotori minutes ago.

He would risk his life trying to save Spirits.

Kotori was calling him out on that.

So, what right did he have to stop Miku from doing so?

 _"I think I understand your feelings a little, my cute little sister."_

Shido was almost amused by the sheer irony of the situation.

"Fine. I'll inform Kotori about this. If she decides that we shouldn't approach them, I want you to leave that place immediately. If she decides that we should..." Shido stopped for a moment.

"Don't be reckless. If worst comes to worst, run. I can save Kurumi anytime from now. But, I will never be able to save you if you die, Miku."

Shido recalled his sister's tone as he warned her, knowing that Miku would find it comforting.

He heard a gasp. Miku was clearly caught off-guard.

"Uh, I... thanks, darling. I'll see you here."

As soon as Miku hung up, Shido quickly called his sister.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kotori was inside the Fraxinus, at the mission control with her crew.

"Hmm..."

In her mind, various plans and predictions were conflicting. It had always been like that for every date.

As she was deep in thought however, her phone vibrated.

"Oh?"

She reached out to her phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Kotori?"

It was a familiar voice.

"Shido? What do you want, calling me this late?"

Kotori wasn't annoyed, but she didn't exactly like to receive a call in the midst of planning.

"Kotori, this is bad. Miku is in danger." Shido said quickly.

"What? In danger? Explain what you mean." Kotori readied herself for yet another report of bad news.

"She accidentally found Kurumi, and now she is following her."

Just like his brother before her, Kotori was surprised.

"What!? Did your insanity affect her or something?! Why didn't you stop her?"

"I wanted to, but she told me this through the phone, and she insisted to follow her. She is currently in some mall I don't know, where an anime festival is taking place."

"Che! Don't tell me she tries to follow Kurumi because she wants you to try and save her." Kotori clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Actually, that's exactly how Miku wants it to be." Shido confirmed, frustration clear in his voice.

"Ahhhh! Today is the worst!"

Kotori yelled as she cursed her own luck, or rather, she was getting sick of the recklessness of people around her right now.

However, it was then she realized something.

 _"Wait, if Kurumi's there..."_

"Shido, did Miku say anything about Sonogami Rinne?"

"Yeah. She said Kurumi was with someone, it's probably her."

"..."

Kotori began to weigh things in her head.

Under normal circumstances, following Kurumi wasn't rational. Especially not now when she was in the middle of an open, public location like a mall. She could use the civilians there as hostages.

Trying to seal her powers now was out of question. Kurumi couldn't be persuaded with normal means and she was actively against it. So following her for the reason of sealing her was definitely pointless, if not impossible, right now.

However, it wasn't the most frequent thing in the world to run across Kurumi. This evening might just be her plan, but this time it was most likely coincidence, so the chances of this being a trap was low.

Gathering information about Kurumi had always been impossible. But now an opportunity to do just that presented itself. More importantly, they could learn about the enigmatic Spirit who requested a date with Shido this evening. The date with her would go smoother if they had information about her.

 _"I'll be able to see that Rinne, too..."_

 _"No! No! I shouldn't let my personal feelings have a part here!"_

Kotori reminded herself as she shook her head.

As Kotori was deep in thought, Shido seemed to be losing his patience.

"Kotori, I don't want to press you, but we have no time!"

"I know! This matter involves lots of lives! I can't make the wrong decision!"

After a short exchange of stern reminders, the two once again became silent. Kotori knew Shido didn't want to interrupt her.

 _"Wait. Why is Kurumi even there in the first place?"_

Kotori questioned herself. Origami told Kotori that she once managed to find Kurumi through beating up one of her clones who wandered around the city, citing that the real deal had always been observing and directing the clones from afar.

 _"Then she shouldn't be in public locations like a mall. The only reason why she would do that..."_

"...Oh." Kotori's eyes widened. She remembered the City of Devouring Time.

Regaining her time. That's the only plausible reason why she was there. And that would mean massacre.

"Shido, we will send you there."

"Roger that."

Kotori knew that, right now, he wouldn't mind doing anything so long as Miku's safety was not threatened.

"I will look for the mall with Miku's signature on it. As soon as I find it, I will transport you there. Prepare yourself!"

"Now, let our stalking begin."

* * *

In the mall, neither Kurumi nor Rinne seemed to have realized that they were being followed.

The two of them were sitting down together on a bench, Kurumi on the left and Rinne on the right. Meanwhile, the stalker in robe, Izayoi Miku, was sitting on a bench to their right.

Their benches were situated behind a stage, where some singers were performing and sang some anime theme songs. Kurumi and Rinne were enjoying the music, while Miku was holding her phone, noting several things she had learned since earlier.

" _Hmm... they seem to be good friends."_ Miku noted to herself.

On her phone's screen, there was an elaborate note.

Target(s): Tokisaki Kurumi, her possible friend.

What are the targets doing: Walking around to see and comment at various stands without buying anything (for roughly 20 minutes), sitting down on a bench while enjoying a musical performance (currently).

Notable things: Both targets are cosplaying, Kurumi wears an eyepatch, the other has a veil to cover her face, targets are holding hands of each other without any problems.

Analysis: Targets don't bring any money, targets are just here to have some fun, targets are probably similar to me/good friends.

Miku then listened as her two targets talked.

"Festivals sure are nice, aren't they?" Rinne commented.

"Of course." Kurumi replied.

Kurumi then took a look around, scanning their environment. It was not as crowded as earlier, probably because the performance causing people to gather in front of the stage.

Fortunately for Miku, Kurumi didn't recognize the stalker right next to them.

" _Phew."_

A moment later, Kurumi stood up.

"We didn't buy anything to eat, did we?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. Let's go buy something."

Rinne was about to leave the bench, but she was stopped.

"There's no need for both of us to walk for food. I'll get us something and you stay here." Kurumi offered.

"Oh? Okay then. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Seeing as Rinne sat back and Kurumi went away, Miku noticed that the phone on her hand received a message.

It was from Shido. It said 'Miku, I'm in the mall. Where are you?'

She quickly sent a reply saying 'Darling, look for a stage with cosplayers singing. If you find it, go behind it and you'll find us. Be careful not to be seen by them.'

Miku then waited. As she sat, she didn't take her eyes off the veiled Spirit at all.

Roughly five minutes later, Miku noticed someone was running toward her from her right.

Whoever it was, they are very conspicuous. He or she wore a spiky, black and indigo helmet. It completely covered the wearer's face, maybe it was transparent from the inside.

The person was also wearing a tight, dark purple suit with golden stripes and long, wrapped sleeves. Over it, the person wore a black and gold cloak with crimson spandex lining the inside, and large black cape encircling the masked head.

It's very noticeable, especially if one was familiar with the anime C*d* G**ss, where the character who owned the costume, One, hailed from.

Recognizing the costume, Miku only raised an eyebrow as the cosplayer stopped in front of her. With a phone on hand, the person pressed a button.

That instant, Miku received a message. It was from Shido. It said 'Miku, it's me, Shido. Right in front of you right now.'

Shocked, Miku stood up and examined at the person claiming to be Shido in front of her.

" _This height, this body build... yeah, it's darling!"_

Not wanting to spook the lone target, Miku quickly held Shido by the arm and dragged him to a nearby shop.

* * *

Inside, they finally spoke.

"Darling! You finally came!"

Miku smiled brightly. She was honestly getting nervous at having to follow two deadly Spirits alone.

"Ah, yeah."

Shido's voice sounded different from usual, Miku noticed. Probably because his pretty face was hidden under the mask.

"But..."

Miku's smile disappeared, replaced with a questioning look.

"I know you must hide your identity, and cosplaying is the perfect way to do it. But... why One, of all people?"

"Kotori told me that this is part of strategy to stay unnoticed..."

Shido replied as he shifted uneasily, clearly not uncomfortable with the costume.

"But One's costume is like the most conspicuous cosplay costume of all time! How do you expect to hide yourself with that?"

She then turned to see how the target -Rinne- was doing. She couldn't let her guard down.

But, what caught her eye was something completely different.

Throughout the mall, she could see at least dozens of people wearing One's costume. Just like Shido.

"What!?" Miku was dumbfounded.

"Well, this is part of the strategy. If I wore this alone, then I will be noticed in no time. But if there were crowds of us, things are different."

As Shido summed up the plan with a confifent tone, it took Miku a few seconds to process the plan. After that, she smiled.

"Oh, so your little sister is a master stalker too." Miku praised sarcastically.

"Hey... don't think you are having a private conversation right now." Kotori's voice could be heard from the mask.

"See? She wouldn't even allow us to talk in private. Such magnificent skills!" Miku continued teasing as she giggled.

"Kuh... anyway, pay attention towards the targets! Don't let them out of your sight!" Kotori commanded.

"Roger that!"

The two of them stared at Rinne, who was still on the bench, waiting.

As they watched, Miku noticed something.

 _"Wait... who are these people helping us?"_

Concerned, she tugged Shido's cape.

"Darling?"

"Yes?"

"Who are these people helping you?" Her voice was dripping with concern.

"Ah, they are people of the Ratatoskr, and... everyone." Shido said while sighing.

"Everyone? You mean the others, too?"

Miku became increasingly worried. Isn't that a bit too reckless? She wanted to involve herself, but to drag others was...

"Kotori said that Kurumi might be here to consume people's time. If she does it here...I don't even want to think about the number of casualties. So, just in case, the others are here, to stop her."

Shido said with a few hints of annoyance. Despite agreeing, he clearly didn't want to put the Spirits in any danger.

"And anyway... they are your friends after all. If you are risking your life, how could they stand around and watch without doing anything?"

"Oh..."

She should have thought of that.

"You're right."

* * *

As both stalkers refocused their attention to Rinne, Shido could tell his heart was racing.

 _"That Astral Dress..."_ Shido thought.

It sent chills down his spine. He could tell that he was, at his heart, terrified.

Even though he didn't know why.

As he was deep in thought, Miku broke the silence again.

"By the way, darling, who is that girl?"

"Ah, her name is Sonogami Rinne. She is an ally of Kurumi who appeared just this evening. I have never met her before."

Back to his senses, Shido replied as quickly as he could.

"Hmm? Does that mean you met her this evening?"

"Yes, and that's when she told me her name. I wasn't prepared to date her today, so I promised I would date her tomorrow."

Miku let out a questioning hum, noticing something was off in his words.

"You aren't prepared? Isn't preparation supposed to be your sister's job?"

"Well... it's kind of complicated."

Shido didn't really want to explain what he was feeling again. With that in his mind, he dodged the question.

Luckily for him, both of them went silent as they saw Kurumi finally returned with ice cream cones in both of her hands.

* * *

Rinne was almost daydreaming when she heard Kurumi's steps.

As the Ruler opened her eyes, the Nightmare Spirit already stood before her seat, with chocolate flavored ice cream cone in each hand.

"Are ice creams fine? This is the only free food I can get around here." Kurumi asked.

"If you want to, I can get other foods for free. If I stretched my muscles a bit..." The Nightmare continued, grinning darkly.

"No, no, it's fine." Knowing that she meant robbery, Rinne quickly shot down the idea. "Come on, gimme that." Ruler extended her hand.

However, Kurumi didn't immediately give one of the cones.

"Rinne, take that off. You can't eat while that's still on your face, right?" Kurumi smiled, referring to Rinne's veil.

"Oh right. I was kind of used to it, so I don't notice." Rinne realized.

As she was about to reveal her face, Shido, Miku, and all the other stalkers tensed up. Miku and Origami in particular were ready to take a photo.

"Is this what you want to see, partner?" Rinne said as she took off her veil.

"See, you look better." Kurumi commented as she handed the cone.

Seeing the beautiful face under the veil, all the stalkers almost gasped in surprise.

" _What the hell!? She looks even more like an empress than my kinsman!"_ Kaguya praised.

" _Surprise. Why does she look so different from this evening?"_ Yuzuru asked.

" _Whoa, what beauty... it's elegant!"_ Miku drooled.

" _Wow. If she was to follow a cosplay competition, even I would vote for her!"_ Natsumi commented.

So they thought. However, among the stalkers, some were not just surprised by her looks.

They were terrified.

" _What is this? My instincts are telling me..._ _I'm in danger?"_ Feeling threatened, Tohka took a step back.

" _I..._ _I..._ _why am I scared?"_ Overwhelmed by fear, Yoshino stood frozen.

" _This feeling..._ _what's happening? Who is she?"_ Trembling, Origami was unable to take a photo.

As Miku was taking photos, behind her, Shido was completely dumbfounded.

In his mind, Shido could feel something was flowing in.

Something similar to the dream he had this morning.

However, the words he heard was completely different.

" _Please die, Itsuka Shido."_

" _In order to repeat it all once more..."_

" _So that you will remain in my_ _[Paradise of Calamity (_ _Eden_ _)]_ _..."_

" _Until you can find your happiness..."_

 _"[Paradise Lost_ _]_ _!"_

Suddenly, all his strength were gone.

"Eh..."

Shido fell to the ground. He could feel his vision was fading.

"Wh... what the..."

Was his last words before his consciousness slipped away.

* * *

 **How was the chapter? State it in reviews, please.**

 **Sorry, even though it's a long chapter, after a long delay, it only advanced a few bits from the last chapter.**

 **I'll make up for it by increasing its quality...** **thank you for following Alternate Reincarnation this far!**


	6. Awakening the Chaos

**A** **/N** **: Hello again! Time for** **Chapter 6, "Awakening the Chaos".**

 **A familiar character is going to appear... enjoy**

* * *

"How's our two targets?" Kotori asked all the stalkers at once.

Although it was within the Fraxinus, the ship was still under repairs within the Ratatoskr's secret underground base. Still, the control room was not damaged, and Kotori was still coordinating the others from the room.

"Report. They haven't finished their ice creams." Yuzuru replied.

"Um... Kotori-san, may I ask something?" Miku asked.

"Yeah?" Kotori gave her permission.

"How's their affection? I'm kind of curious."

At Miku's question, Kotori became silent. She honestly wasn't able to answer that.

Unfortunately, it seemed that both Kurumi and Rinne possessed the uncanny ability to stay undetected even by Ratatoskr's equipment. If they couldn't be detected, neither could their affections be calculated.

The only time Kurumi was detected -and thus, had her mental state read- was during her date with Shido. And even then, it was her clone. The real deal never had her mental state read, ever.

"Sorry, Miku, but we can't get a reading on either of them."

"Ow, that's too bad. I was hoping for, like, very high points! Since they seemed to be enjoying themselves."

Miku whined with a hint of frustration.

Everybody was in a contemplative silence for a moment. Then, they understood what Miku meant.

It was followed by a mocking laugh.

"Kukuku. Miku, no one would share the taste of a twisted, dangerous songstress such as yourself." Kaguya mocked.

"Pity. Miku is looking for someone of her kind. Unfortunately, she is unique." Yuzuru insulted in her own way.

Natsumi laughed softly. She seemed to find Kaguya's and Yuzuru's statements funny.

They didn't seem to realize that Tohka, Origami, and Yoshino didn't seem to respond at all.

"Ow, everyone is being a meanie today, right, dar... ling?"

Miku's tone suddenly changed.

"Miku?" Kotori was alarmed.

"Darling?!" Miku suddenly shouted.

Seeing as her darling lying on the floor motionlessly behind her, Miku reflexively ran toward and knelt next to Shido.

"What's wrong, Miku?"

Unaware of Shido's condition, Kotori asked from the communicator in Shido's mask.

Miku didn't immediately respond. Carefully putting Shido on her arms, Miku opened One's mask.

Shido was unconscious. His face was dripping with cold sweat, and even his expression suggested he was in a lot of pain. It didn't help Miku to calm down in the slightest.

"Kotori-san! Darling is... he is unconscious!" Miku said in panic.

"What did you say!?"

"Shido is what?!"

"Shock. What happened to Shido!?"

"Shido-san...!"

"Shido!"

The Spirits immediately went into a panic. The repeated yell hurt Kotori's ears. However, although surprised, she quickly quelled her building emotions and calmed down.

"Wait, everyone! Calm down and stay in your position!" Kotori ordered.

"Why!?" Tohka yelled back. "Shido is-"

"Remember your mission! We are stalking the most dangerous Spirit right now! What will happen if you have to fight those two with Shido still around?"

The Spirits became silent. Of course, worst case scenario, at least Shido would die. Nobody among them wanted that.

Seeing as they calmed down a bit, Kotori turned her chair to face the other side of the room.

"Reine, how's Shido's condition?"

"According to these numbers..."

The sleepy analyst, Murasame Reine began to speak in her usual tone as she stared at the screen.

"There's no irregularity in his vitals, but Shin suffered a huge drop in his mental state. Most likely, he lost consciousness because of experiencing something similar to the Realizer DEM put within Honjou Nia."

Reine explained. She was referring to the Inversion of Nia a few weeks ago.

"...But Shido has no such devices in his head isn't he?" Kotori questioned.

"True. We can't detect any Realizer within Shin's body." Reine confirmed.

"However, in any case, something is clearly going on within Shin's mind. His mental state is steadily deteriorating, even in his unconsciousness."

Reine took a look at the screen displaying Shido's status. Almost all parameters were slowly decreasing.

"Damn it..."

Kotori cursed her luck as she took a look the parameter. She had to think fast.

"There's no choice. I'll order my men to retrieve Shido back. As for the mission..."

She paused for a moment.

"Continue the mission. Our objective is to gather information and to stop them if they really planned to attack civilians, so it doesn't need Shido to be around." Kotori decided.

"Yes, sir!" Most of the stalkers replied.

The Spirits replied later than the others, but they complied.

"Very well, Kotori."

"...Order acknowledged, Itsuka Kotori."

"We have our mission, after all."

"Obedience. We will continue stalking."

Hearing some of their responses, Kotori added.

"One of the Non-Spirit Stalking Team, please return with a photo of the targets and Shido."

* * *

Tens of minutes after Shido's collapsing, one of the non-Spirit stalkers had arrived to Ratatoskr's underground base, with Shido to bring into the medical room and a camera to bring into the control room.

"Good work. You may rest and let the others do the rest."

"Thank you, sir."

After hearing his report, Kotori decided to see the photos he shot.

The first picture was someone with very long braided pink hair, purple clock dress, a headdress, and a veil covering her face, sitting down calmly on a bench.

 _"So this is Sonogami Rinne? Is this she in her Astral Dress?"_

For some reason Kotori couldn't explain, she felt familiar with the appearance.

Deciding to brush it off, Kotori moved to the next.

The second shot was Rinne being approached by someone Kotori knew.

Tokisaki Kurumi, with a monotone blouse, a skirt that had laces and frills, and her hair was decorated with an Alice band. Conspicuously, she wore an eyepatch, and were carrying two ice creams.

 _"What the? Is she cosplaying?"_

Concluding that the ice creams were for both of them, Kotori moved to the next.

"Huh?" Kotori uttered.

The third photo was the one she was looking for. When Rinne took off her veil, and accepted Kurumi's ice cream.

All of a sudden, Kotori could feel chill ran down her spine.

"Wh, what is this...?"

Feeling dread coming from the photo, Kotori quickly turned the camera off.

A few moments later, after calming herself down, Kotori began to think.

 _"What is this feeling?"_

Her hands were shaking.

 _"Is it... fear?"_

That didn't make any sense.

 _"Why? Why am I afraid? Of what? Her?"_

The redhead began to ponder. Was this her powers? Could this Spirit affect her, even through a camera?

 _"Is this why he felt strange around her too?"_

* * *

It was minutes before midnight. Most of the shops were closed, and the lights were off everywhere in the mall except in the center of the ground floor, where concerts performed by famous singers were almost over.

Rinne and Kurumi were in the second uppermost floor, where it was almost completely deserted, watching the concert and a sea of people below them.

As the festival was close to its end, the two friends began chatting about how did they feel about the festival.

It was the first anime festival for Rinne, so naturally she learned of many things. A lot of famous authors, dozens of great stories, and unbelievably memorable characters.

Although, she would be lying if she said everything was good. There were a few pathetic works here and there, special mention went to the cosplayers and fans who tried to sing anime theme songs.

But overall, Rinne enjoyed the festival. She finally understood why Kurumi liked...er, used to like these stuffs so much.

For Kurumi, although she said that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with her past, she was enthusiastic to participate in various stands.

Much more critical to everything, Kurumi almost never spoke positively about the festival, and all her opinions were brutally honest. Maybe if the criticized ones were here, they would shed tears of blood out of the sheer negativity of her comments.

But it was understandable. After all, it was a nice, if ephemeral, return to her past. Kurumi would never admit it, but she too was enjoying the festival.

After they chatted long enough though, they changed the subject into something more serious.

"Hmm, those people are no longer here. Have they given up?"

Kurumi looked around, referring to the stalkers. Rinne was aware of their presence for hours, and she was sure Kurumi noticed even earlier.

"Probably because those Spirits were among them... and they need to rest."

Rinne analyzed. After all, they were not fully powered Spirits. Their bodies were not completely sustaimed by their mana.

"Heh... they must be pulling their hairs out of frustration. Followed us for hours, and learned nothing important."

Kurumi chuckled. Rinne smiled at that, she had to correct Kurumi at that point.

"Hee hee... no. They actually do learn something."

Kurumi looked surprised, and turned to her. Crimson orbs met mismatched ones.

"What?"

"They must be sure at this point that we are not just allies of convenience. We are actual friends."

"That's not something important, ain't it?" Kurumi raised an eyebrow. "Who cares about what they think about us?"

"But it is an important info for them. Because they didn't expect that someone like you could actually have fun like a normal girl." It was Rinne's turn to chuckle.

Kurumi's lips curved into a frown.

"Oh, yeah... and that would convince Shido-san to try and save me more..."

Rinne flinched at her partner's complaint.

 _"Do you refuse redemption that much?"_ Rinne thought.

From the very beginning, Rinne knew her partner didn't like to be viewed as a 'good person.' Kurumi didn't want to be 'saved.' She wanted none of the warmth other people wished. Of course, the best way to do all of that was to commit atrocities.

Murder. The act of taking the lives of others. That was Kurumi's only way to survive. And with time, it became her way of living. Murder no longer became a burden to carry, but rather, it became an obligation. An equivalent of eating properly.

Although she was Kurumi's partner, Rinne never agreed to that. She could **not** agree to that. That's why Rinne had asked Kurumi to promise her one thing: do not kill anyone when she was around.

Of course, that didn't apply whenever they were separate. And Rinne knew she couldn't change that for her.

 _"If only we met before you became a Spirit, Kurumi... maybe things would've been different."_

As silence began to fill in between them, a familiar voice broke it apart.

"May we join in?"

A voice suddenly broke the silence between them.

The two of them turned around from the railings they were. The lights in that floor was off, and there were only darkness behind them.

The two of them however, knew who was talking. Or rather, were.

"What's wrong? [Mes]?" The eyepatched Kurumi asked.

A bunch of Kurumi clones clad in their Astral Dresses gradually revealed themselves in the darkness. It was as if they had just returned from a mission.

"All stalkers are confirmed to have left the mall."

"No signs of AST or DEM in the area."

"[Me], I have something urgent to report."

So the Kurumi clones reported. However, the last one appeared to be serious, and waiting for the original's permission to let her elaborate.

"Ara? Return then."

As the real Kurumi gestured her hand, her shadow grew in size, approaching the group of clones. All the Kurumis quickly jumped in and disappeared into the pool of darkness.

After her shadow returned to its original size, Kurumi closed her visible eye for a moment. She was receiving the memories of her duplicates.

"...Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

Kurumi sounded anxious. Rinne immediately tensed, since that didn't happen to her partner often.

"...Something happened to Shido-san."

"What?"

Concern and worry quickly grew, but Rinne suppressed it from her voice.

"Explain."

"Wait. This would be much faster."

Kurumi's ancient pistol suddenly flung itself out of her shadow, and the Nightmare Spirit caught it in her right hand.

"[Zafkiel]. [Yod]."

As Kurumi chanted the two names, Rinne already knew what the Spirit of Time was about to do.

Mentally preparing herself, Rinne stood in a position where her head was right next to Kurumi's.

As Kurumi put her gun on her right temple, she fired through her own head. The bullet harmlessly passed through her and into Rinne, transferring Kurumi's recent memories to her.

"Oh..."

Rinne widened her eyes in shock as she learned what happened tonight. Specifically, what happened to Shido.

In a few moments, Rinne's expression disappeared. The air around her had changed completely.

Suddenly, she felt like a different person.

 _"Shido collapsed... I have to confirm his safety..."_

Rinne let out a sigh as Spirit mana flowed into her body. Calmly, she chanted two names.

"[Cassiel]! [Web of Causality]!"

Responding to her command, her Angel Cassiel manifested behind her.

However, it didn't have the same appearance as this evening. It was no longer a circle.

Now it was a complete sphere, even more similar to a miniature spacequake.

From within the dark sphere, innumerable amount red-colored threads manifested, with each thread heading toward different directions, passing through whatever obstruction on their way as if they were not even there.

Their sheer number alone were enough to fill the entire mall, but no one even realized that they were entangled by countless immaterial threads. Nor they could 'see' it.

Seeing this, Kurumi took off her eyepatch.

"[Strings of Fate...]"

As Kurumi sounded in awe, Rinne smiled mentally. The Spirit of Time always liked it whenever she got the chance to see her Cassiel in action.

 _"She is quite lucky too, to have Zafkiel..."_

After all, not even other Spirits could see what she had summoned. With her right eye, Kurumi was just like the others. She couldn't see the threads.

But with her left, golden clock eye, it was visible. And apparently its beauty caught her eye.

Rinne still remembered how she explained the nature of her powers to Kurumi, a few years back.

 _"Everyone and everything in the world had a 'String of Fate' attached to them. These intangible forces were in control of their existence. Cassiel was the only one capable of observing these Strings, and by extension, bend it to the user's will."_

Web of Causality, Cassiel's primary power, would allow the observation of these Strings, allowing its user to see into the currents of destiny, observe events surrounding people's lives, and tell the possibilities of their futures.

Of course, even such an amazing ability was still bound by limitations. She couldn't observe the Strings of anyone she had never known before. Rinne also couldn't see people's pasts, because parts of the Strings depicting their previous lives had disappeared into the darkness of Cassiel's sphere.

Also, for some reason, Rinne couldn't observe the String of Fate belonging to Phantom.

However still, it was useful, and through this ability, Rinne had observed Shido and the others throughout the entire year she and Kurumi were apart. Hence why she knew everything he did in the time period.

Now though... she found an abnormality in the flow of causality.

"This is..."

"What? Is he in danger?"

No, this was not a danger... not an immediate one, at least. However, Rinne could barely believe what she just read.

"No, but..."

She paused in hesitation. Was this real?

"Shido's String split into two."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Kurumi raised a brow in confusion. It was only natural, she didn't understand how to read the Web.

"That means... something was born from him."

* * *

"..."

"Owh...?"

Shido opened his eyes. As his senses returned, he realized that he was lying on a bed.

"Where am I...?"

Feeling that he wasn't on his own bed, his eyes began to look around.

The room appeared similar to the medical rooms within the Fraxinus. For a moment, Shido thought he was within the airship.

But then he remembered. Fraxinus was under repairs. This must be inside the underground base belonging to Ratatoskr.

As he sat up, it took him a few moments before remembered what happened to him.

 _"Oh, right... when I was stalking her... I lost consciousness, did I?"_

"...Ugh!"

Shido suddenly felt pain in his head as he tried to recall the last thing he could remember.

Paradise Lost.

Said by someone who looked like Sonogami Rinne.

Who then proceeded to kill him.

Shido could feel his body tremble. Overwhelming fear, was all he could feel for a moment..

 _"Um, are you okay, Papa?"_

A completely unfamiliar, girlish voice was heard in his ears.

"Eh?"

Shido was dumbfounded. Nobody was inside the room, except for himself.

Yet he clearly heard a voice. Or, was he imagining it?

"Err... who are you?"

 _"Ehhhh? Papa doesn't recognize me?_ "

The voice replied with a tone of confusion.

 _"Is she calling me her Papa? Is this some kind of a joke?"_

So Shido thought. But as if whoever was talking to him read his mind, the voice continued.

 _"Eh, eh, but it's true! You are my Papa! Really!"_

As Shido was not expecting a comeback to his thoughts, Shido was taken aback.

"What!? Are you reading my mind or something?!"

 _"Hmm...? But, I AM inside Papa's mind."_

"What?"

As if not understanding what the voice said, Shido was stunned.

 _"Uh... didn't I explain it correctly...?"_

Shido was about to scream 'WHHAAATTTT' but he changed his mind and keep it into himself.

 _"Whoa, is it that surprising?!"_

Shido almost couldn't believe he heard that one.

 _"Of course it is! What are you doing inside my mind!?"_

 _"Eh, I should not? Then how should I communicate with Papa?"_

 _"Seriously? Why don't you do it the usual way, by appearing and talking with me?"_

 _"If that's what Papa wanted..."_

Suddenly feeling tired due to the ridiculous conversation he was having, Shido wanted to lie down and rest again.

He was somewhat convinced that this conversation was a dream.

However, before he could put that theory into test, light began to gather around near him.

The light slowly formed a humanoid shape.

As it completed, Shido met the surprise of his life.

"What the..."

It was a little girl with pink eyes.

She had a long, plum hair, which she tied with a single, long braid that reached her legs, and a bow at the top of her head.

Clad in a lavish, red dress with a gold emblem on its center, and a large robe which reached her feet.

Her appearance really brought Sonogami Rinne, in her Spirit form at least, into mind. But it was more 'cute' than 'beautiful' since she seemed much younger.

"Like this?"

The girl asked with a cute smile that rendered Shido unable to answer her.

* * *

 **How was the chapter? Like usual, state it in the reviews.**

 **I decided to include Rio for a reason. I found out in Date A Live Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation, that Rio is, for all intents and purposes, a manifestation of Shido's longing for Rinne, and so, she appeared by taking Ruler's power, Eden.**

 **Since I wanted this fan fic to follow canon's logic as much as possible (without diverging to AU status, but not outright denying it either) and because this fan fic occurred after the end of Rinne Utopia, it doesn't make any logical sense if Shido met Rinne, but didn't create Rio from his powers.**

 **I admit, I wasn't going to include Rio at all, and it shook my plans for a while. But I have created another plot with her in it, and in another 2 weeks or so I can probably** **post** **the next chapter. Thank you for following Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	7. Her Name is Rio

**A/N: I'm back! Now with Chapter 7, "Her Name Is Rio".**

 **I don't think I will ever say much in A/N except if I had an announcement...**

* * *

"Papa?"

As the little girl in front of him asked, she leaned her petite body closer to Shido.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing the question, Shido snapped back to reality.

"Uh, um... yeah, I think I'm okay.

 _"Wait, no!"_

He immediately recalled what was happening in front of his eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait..."

Shido closed his eyes as he frantically moved his hands in front of him as to tell the girl not to get closer.

"Papa...?"

As the girl spoke again, more concerned this time, Shido opened his eyes slightly, taking a peek at the little girl.

 _"She really does look like her... Sonogami Rinne..."_

Shido could tell his brain was overloading again. He was already confused with the events of this evening, then losing consciousness tonight. And it was topped of by **this**.

But since he didn't pass out again, he supposed he could at least talk with the girl.

"Okay... first of all, who are you?"

The girl titled her head to her side, as if confused.

"Um... Papa's daughter?"

Shido blushed a little. He was embarrassed of being referred to as Papa, but it confused him just as much.

"And... why do you call me 'Papa'?"

"Because I was born from Papa."

"Eh?"

Shido raised his brow at that statement. His attention was fully on her now.

 _"Born from me? What is she talking about?"_

"Okay, can you explain about that? What did I do to give birth to you?"

The girl seemed to be slightly upset from Shido's words.

"Papa, you didn't create me alone. There's Mama, too!"

"Ma, Mama? Who?"

Although asking, somewhere in his mind Shido already had a vague idea of the mother of this girl.

"Don't tell me...it's Rinne?"

"Yeah! Papa shouldn't forget about Mama!"

Shido put a palm on his face. He was processing the situation.

 _"Okay. What kind of situation I'm trapped in, now?"_

After a moment, Shido tossed his blanket aside and stood up from the bed.

"Papa? Where are you going?"

"Kotori and Reine-san. I'm sure they can explain about you."

* * *

"I'm done with the reports."

Origami's voice sounded like she was still in the AST, reporting to her higher ups.

"I see. Good work, Origami. How's the others?"

"Yatogami Tohka, Yoshino and Natsumi have fallen asleep. The Yamais are in their room, although considering the noise they are probably not asleep yet. Izayoi Miku have returned to her home."

Even though Origami explained in a matter-of-fact manner, Kotori didn't pay much attention to the status report as she was pondering about the stalking mission results.

Tokisaki Kurumi and Sonogami Rinne were just enjoying the festival for fun. That was the conclusion the stalkers reached to.

It was supposed to be normal, since they were both girls. But the problem with this theory was how abnormal both the targets were.

Even though Nia said that each and every Spirit used to be human, Kotori could barely believe that's the case with the Nightmare Spirit. She had not shown a single humanizing emotion or action in all her appearances before.

But this mission proved otherwise. Although Kotori didn't like it, Shido was right. Perhaps she wasn't beyond salvation.

As for Rinne... whom the Ratatoskr had given the code-name [Ruler] befitting her appearance, Kotori couldn't say anything. They had too little information about her, let alone evaluate whether her actions were normal or not.

On the plus side, she seemed much less threatening than Kurumi. From Shido's report and the stalking today, her actions and temper were easily the most stable among Spirits known so far.

On the other hand, she couldn't get why would such a person hang out with... heck, even getting along well with Kurumi. They were almost polar opposites, and yet their friendship appeared too natural to be faked.

 _"And then there's this... fear coming from her... just what the heck is up with her?"_

"Itsuka Kotori?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

As soon as she heard Origami called her name, Kotori's mind was snapped back to reality.

"Have you seen Ruler's face?"

"Yeah, I did. What about it?"

At the other side, Origami seemed to hesitate for a moment, but she continued.

"...Do you feel anything from her?"

Kotori raised an eyebrow. Yeah, she did feel weird seeing her, but she hadn't told anyone about it.

 _"Oh, then Origami too..."_

"Are you saying some sort of fear? Yeah, I did. You too?"

"So you also felt it. May I ask another question then? Do you know what it is?"

Kotori scratched the back of her head.

"No, actually... it might be related to her powers, or some other unseen factors entirely."

"I see..."

Kotori wanted to say more, but it was then that she realized just how tired she was, as she let out a yawn.

"I suppose let's call it a night. Good work, and have some rest. You still have school tomorrow, after all."

"I could say the same to you. I was a soldier, and I'm more used to sleepless nights. Sleep well."

After she cut off the communication line, Kotori left the chair and subsequently, the room.

As she went out of the Fraxinus' hangar, she walked down the underground hallway leading to the medical rooms.

 _"Is he up, yet?"_

Thinking about Shido, Kotori wondered as she walked slowly.

However, as soon as she turned right past a corner, she found the person she was looking for.

With a familiar-looking girl on his back, riding him piggyback style.

Kotori widened her eyes, and immediately raised her guard.

"Shi... Shido?"

"Kotori?"

"Wh, who is that girl behind you?"

"Err... I can't explain about that."

However, the girl on his back interjected.

"Papa, you are so mean! I'm Papa's daughter!"

Shido's expression turned into one of horror as Kotori threw him a death glare.

 _"What did she say...? Daughter...? Shido had done that...?"_

Kotori took a look at the girl on his back. Young, but not infant. Which meant Shido had been hiding her for years.

All of Kotori's concern for Shido a few moments ago was replaced by flames of anger. And probably jealousy too a bit.

"Shido... you had a daughter?"

"Wa, wait, no, she doesn't mean it that way! Oh my-"

"You monster!"

Not giving Shido a chance to say anything, Kotori spun around to land one of her feet on Shido's jaw.

However, after a few moments her foot didn't feel like it had hit a hard surface.

Kotori found that the girl on Shido's back had effortlessly **caught** her kick, while still holding on Shido.

Both Kotori and Shido himself widened their eyes in surprise, especially since she didn't look strong enough to do so.

"No one hurts Papa when I'm around."

The little girl said in a threatening tone. Her eyes were staring daggers at Kotori.

Kotori wanted to pull her foot back, but the little girl wasn't letting her go.

 _"What kind of strength this kid had? Only Spirits could have this kind of power!"_

"Apologize to Papa! Then I'll let you go!"

As surprised as she was, Kotori didn't expect that from the little girl.

"What? Why?"

"You were about to hurt Papa, so shouldn't you be sorry?"

"Urg..."

As much as she would hate to admit it, this girl was right. Kotori didn't give Shido any chance to explain before she tried to kick him.

 _"I suppose she is right... I let my temper got the best out of me again."_

Kotori bowed her head as much as she could with one leg.

"I'm sorry, Shido."

"Ah, it's fine."

The little girl smiled at the exchange, and let Kotori's foot go.

As Kotori was back to her two feet, she inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down.

"So, Shido, do you have anything to explain to me?"

Back to her usual commander persona, Kotori spoke with a professional tone.

Shido sighed.

"I said it... I can't."

* * *

"Sorry, did I make you wait?"

Reine said that as the Fraxinus control room's door opened before her.

She was clad in her usual Ratatoskr uniform. The analyst was rarely called by Kotori through a message this late, so she figured it would be duty-related.

As soon as she was inside, she quickly scanned the room.

Kotori was sitting on her captain chair, while Shido, and a little girl on her back, was beside the captain's seat.

Reine squinted her eyes.

 _"Who is this...?"_

"Ah, Reine. Sorry to call you at this hour, but you didn't sleep, right?"

"It's part of my job. Pay no heed."

As soon as she and Kotori exchanged the initial greeting, Reine turned her gaze to Shido, or rather, the girl with him.

"And who is this?"

It was Kotori who answered the question.

"And that's what we want you to analyze."

Shido went on explaining about what had been happening since he woke up until now.

Kotori frowned more and more as she listened to the story while the girl they had been talking about seemed to be utterly confused... about what should be confused over.

"I see..."

The analyst touched her chin with her hand, processing the whole information.

"So, could you please run a check on her?"

"Of course."

As Kotori asked her the obvious, Reine then quickly approached Shido, a move which neither Shido or Kotori were expecting.

Her face was a few centimeters away from Shido's, prompting Shido to lose his composure in embarrassment.

"Um, Reine-san?"

"Shin's daughter, I take it?"

Seeing as Reine ignored Shido, the Itsuka siblings then understood her intentions. She was focusing on the girl, not him.

Kotori didn't appear to like it when Reine acknowledged her as Shido's daughter, though.

"Yeah?" The little girl responded to Reine's call.

"May I run a few checks on your body? I promise it won't hurt." Reine asked.

"Um, I think? Papa, may I?"

The little girl whispered to Shido's ears in front of her.

"A-ah, you may."

Clearly not ready to act as a father, Shido merely gave an awkward permission. Reine smiled a bit at that.

Shido knelt as to allow the girl's short legs to reach the floor comfortably.

"Uh, Reine-san, may I go with you?"

"I suppose it's fine. Captain?"

"I'll go, too."

* * *

The midnight had passed and the anime festival had ended half an hour ago.

Having nothing more to do, Rinne and Kurumi found themselves returning to the cemetery of Tenguu City once more.

Even though it was the darkest hour of the day, with the moon hidden by the clouds, the two Spirits didn't have a problem with walking around. Mostly because their glowing red eyes were more than enough to give them sight.

Kurumi was clad in her Astral Dress once more, stepping on top of a grave. Her clock eye was looking around, staring at the Web of Causality she wished she could read. Meanwhile, Rinne was concentrating on reading the Strings, deep in thought.

"Okay... so, you said something was born from Shido-san. What?"

"I can't quite explain it. The readings indicate it is a Spirit, but..."

Rinne hesitated to continue, confused by the events she was reading. Meanwhile, Kurumi raised a brow.

"Spirit? How does he produce a Spirit?"

"I'm not quite sure about the cause, but I think I can explain the process."

"Enlighten me, then."

Kurumi then put her hands on an akimbo, while Rinne turned from the dark hole where the Strings of Fate emerged to Kurumi's direction.

"Kurumi, you do remember that the powers of every Spirit Shido sealed are stored within him, right?"

"Of course. That's the reason why I want to eat him, after all."

Despite sounding ominous, and was complemented by Kurumi's devious smirk, Rinne merely chuckled at that.

 _"You just wanted his power, all right."_

Rinne decided to continue. "You know, Spirit powers are extremely reactive to emotions. Do you remember how much trouble Shido gets into -multiple times- because of his harem's instability?"

"Now that you mention it, even Westcott discovered Tohka-san because of Yoshino-san was watching a stupid drama and Origami-san being so possessive of Shido-san." Kurumi put a finger on her chin.

Rinne laughed in response. She remembered, of course, just a few days before Shido met the Yamais. Although that led to Westcott and Ellen noticing Shido's existence, Rinne was thoroughly amused by how Fate played their hands that day. It was almost too ridiculous to believe.

Fortunately for Rinne, Kurumi seemed to already understand what she was about to explain.

"Oh, I see... you are saying, that if a single Spirit could cause rains and storms when they lose control over their powers, then Shido-san with 8 Spirits would be..."

"Devastating, of course."

Rinne smiled nervously, while Kurumi rolled her eyes, as if saying 'I should have thought of this before.'

However, the Nightmare Spirit then questioned again.

"But then a really massive disaster should happen. Why producing a Spirit, instead?"

"Most likely because Shido is a special case. He isn't a Spirit. Just a human that could contain Spirit powers within. Remember when he went berserk?"

Rinne was referring to the disaster that Shido caused, when his powers made his body overheat.

"Ah, yes, my clones saw it. His personality... changed, didn't it?"

"That's where my speculation came from. If he could produce an alternate personality when losing control of his powers... I would not be surprised if he could produce an entirely separate identity."

"But instead of taking over, this new identity surfaced as a Spirit, is that what you are saying?"

"Pretty much."

Kurumi began to twirl her body in one heel hearing that. It might look odd, but Rinne knew that it was a sign of her processing an information.

"It doesn't seem to contradict our understanding about Spirit powers and Shido-san so far. But what kind of emotional turmoil could possibly be the cause for this? We can't find out about it at this point."

Kurumi frowned as she complained, while gradually spinning in place faster. Hearing this, Rinne was surprised.

"Hah? Kurumi, did you forget? You can use [Yod] and I can use [Fate Connection] on him. It's just a matter of who will-"

" **No.** "

Kurumi sharply cut Rinne off as she stopped twirling in place, and stared at her directly in the eyes.

The atmosphere of the conversation suddenly changed. Rinne knew that Kurumi was serious now.

"Ku, Kurumi?"

"Are you stupid? Whatever happened to him, it drove Shido-san, of all people, to an edge. If it is so bad that it can cause him to lose control over his Spirit mana, what do you think will happen to us when we relive that moment in our head with our powers?"

Kurumi raised the tone of her voice, but Rinne merely tilted her head in confusion. Rinne honestly didn't understand what Kurumi was implying.

Impatient, Kurumi sighed, anger clear in her face.

"Rinne... you really don't understand? We might go **Inverse** from his emotional trauma! Do you really want to see our Demon Kings that badly!?"

The Nightmare Spirit yelled now, startling her.

Rinne instantly felt a chill ran down her spine the moment Kurumi mentioned the possibility of Inversion.

Now that Rinne thought about it, Kurumi was right- the power to see through someone's memories, carried the risk of bearing that person's despair. Both Zafkiel and Cassiel had that problem.

"I... I'm sorry..."

Feeling bad for angering her friend, Rinne apologized. However, that didn't mean she agreed with Kurumi's point.

"But Kurumi, no one knows what will happen, right? Do you think it's wise not to take a risk to find answers?"

The Ruler wanted to see what caused Shido to collapse into a coma. More than that, she **needed** to know. So she tried to argue realistically now.

Unfortunately for Rinne, her partner didn't seem to be amused by her argument.

If anything, Kurumi seemed to be angrier.

"You have seen three Demon Kings so far. And that's more than enough times to learn that any gains involving them is not worth anything!"

Kurumi's crimson eye glowed brightly, reflecting her irritation.

Rinne flinched seeing that, but she couldn't accept giving up that easily.

"But... we could manage it. Suppose one of us did go Inverse, the other can ask Shido for help. Isn't that why you and I have been helping him? To build enough trust so that we can ask for his help when necessary?"

"Idiot! That's a back-up plan! Why would you trust him with our sanity so easily!?"

"Because if it's him he can manage it!"

"You..."

Kurumi gritted her teeth. At this point Rinne knew she was really mad.

But she couldn't give up about this. There was no other way.

"Kurumi... this might lead us the answers I have been looking for three years. Please, let's take this risk."

Kurumi stared down at her for several moments, before finally turned around and took a deep breath. For a moment, Rinne was hopeful that she would accept.

What came next was not what Rinne expected.

"Huh... you know, the only reason why you don't fear Inverse Spirits now is because you haven't seen yourself in that form."

"...!"

Rinne's eyes grew wide.

 _"No..."_

 _"Not that... please don't bring that up..."_

That moment, all of Rinne's desire to argue was gone.

All that was left was pain.

"Did I instill that much fear into you... or you just don't want to see me like that again, Kurumi...?"

* * *

"What?"

"Reine, are you serious?"

Shido found himself raising his voice in disbelief. Likewise, Kotori couldn't help but voice her disbelief.

On the other side, Reine spoke in her usual tone.

"I'm serious. In a sense, this girl is Shin's daughter."

The three of them were inside a large room with a lot of Realizer equipments, while the little girl they were talking about was inside a wall made of glass.

It was very similar to the confinement Kotori was subjected to when her Spirit powers returned completely. She didn't appear to object though, as she was busy with a tablet Reine gave to her.

Kotori and Shido were beside themselves on a sofa while Reine was drinking a coffee on a sofa in front of them.

"So you are saying that because I can't control my powers, that girl is born?"

"To be precise, you lost control over your powers due to a disturbance in your mental state, and that produced her."

Reine corrected Shido's understanding.

Hearing this, he took a glance at the Spirit who was locked within the glass room.

Honestly, Shido didn't know how to respond to what he just heard.

He created the girl. With no intention to, but still, he did.

What should he do about that? How should he react to it?

He felt it was the first time he thought a responsibility was beyond him.

As Shido was deep in thought, he was not paying attention while Kotori and Reine continued to discuss.

"How much threat does this [Irregular] pose?"

"At least as dangerous as Shin when he went berserk. Likely even more so, since she is an actual Spirit, and are much more used to using Spirit powers than Shin."

"I thought as much... then, we can't afford to make a mistake here."

As Kotori clasped her hands under her chin, deep into thought, a thought crossed Shido's mind.

"Um...Reine-san?"

"Yes, Shin?"

"Can I... seal her powers like I do with other Spirits?"

"Theoretically, it is possible once her affection rises high enough. But..."

Reine paused, causing Shido to raise a brow.

"But?"

"That girl... will disappear."

Shido and Kotori gasped in surprise.

"Wh, what..?"

"Why?!"

Kotori was surprised, but Shido found himself raising his tone at the possibility he never even thought before.

"Calm down, Shin. She doesn't have a physical body like other Spirits, and everything about her existence all came from the Spirit mana provided by yourself. When you seal her powers, you are cutting her off of the source of energy needed for her to continue existing."

Shido's eyes grew wide as he understood what that meant.

"And... she will disappear?"

"In a sense. Her body will dissolve back to being Spirit energy, and her mind will disappear into the fabric of your consciousness."

Silence filled the atmosphere between them.

Before it went on any longer though, suddenly, they heard a pleasant sound.

"Eh?"

All three turned to the source of the sound. Inside the glass confinement.

Much to their surprise, the girl was playing on a piano.

It was a vertical-type piano, made from what seemed to be golden metal, similar to what formed the emblem on her red dress.

"What? Where did she get that? Did you create one with a Realizer?"

"No, I didn't provide her with a piano."

As Kotori and Reine were speaking however, Shido didn't say a word. Instead he stood, and found himself memerized by the music.

He then into the glass room. Inside, the music was much more audible.

The slow, relaxing notes gave Shido comfort.

As Shido slowly walked to the seat where the little girl was playing, the girl spoke.

"Have you calmed down, Papa?"

"Eh?"

Not expecting the girl to realize that he was there, Shido found himself unable to respond.

While still playing, the girl continued to talk.

"I feel something unpleasant in Papa's heart... but Sleepy Miss told me not to leave this room."

The little girl then let out a huff, pausing for a moment.

"When thinking on how to comfort Papa, I was playing with the tablet. There, I found a really kind thing who was playing music to soothe a little girl."

The piano player then giggled lightly.

"I thought, 'that works!' so I created one of my own, and played one of his music!"

Shido was surprised by her explanation. He thought he recognized the music, he was right.

The girl then stopped playing, hopped off of her chair, and turned to Shido.

"And it really works! Papa, I feel warmth in your heart!"

The little girl smiled brightly. A very warm, sincere smile. Not unlike the one he saw yesterday.

Facing that, Shido couldn't agree more to her words if he could.

Shido smiled, and knelt in front of her.

"Papa?"

Shido patted her head. His hand gently rubbing on her plum hairs.

"Thank you. I need that."

"Eh, hee hee hee..."

As Shido was done patting her and stood back up however, she tugged on Shido's trouser.

"Hmm?"

"Papa, I want a reward!"

"Eh? Reward?"

"Yeah!"

"Fine, I guess. What kind of reward you want?"

"Give me a name!"

"Eh? You don't have one?"

Shido was kind of surprised at how cheerful she was at asking her name.

But it made sense. She couldn't have a name, could she? She was born from him after all.

"I don't! Papa hasn't given me one, and I haven't seen Mama around so I can't ask her. Please?"

As she began asking with a pleading tone, Shido scratched the back of his head.

 _"A name? What kind of name should I give her?"_

He remembered the last time he made a name, he was inspired by the date. He couldn't use that again, so he looked around to find an idea.

Behind him, outside the glass wall, Shido found that Kotori was holding another tablet, displaying choices for names. Of course, the familiar 'Tome' was written on them.

 _"That again!? You can't be serious!"_

He had to think up a name. And fast.

 _"Wait... is it fine if I combined some syllables from my name with Rinne's?"_

Rinne and Shido. The syllables were...ri, n, ne, shi, do, and o.

Shinne? Shiri? Rishi? Rido? Nope, no good.

 _"Oh, how about..."_

"Rio?"

As Shido said that, the little girl looked surprised.

"Huh? Rio?"

The girl put a finger under her chin. For a moment, she appeared to be considering it.

She then smiled.

"Rio! Rio likes it!"

* * *

 **Phew, this chapter was tough to write. Leave your thoughts in the reviews! If it's weird in anyway, just tell me and I'm editing it!**

 **Thank you for following Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	8. Prelude to the Date

**A/N: Hello again, my readers! Before I start, let me** _ **thoroughly**_ **apologize for being late on updating!**

 **I have no excuses. To make up for it, around this weekend, I'll redeem myself by posting new, updated version of the early chapters!**

 **I am convinced that the early chapters are... somewhat lacking compared to the later ones, especially since I didn't specify exactly when this story is happening in-between volume 13 and 14.**

 **So, they will be updated, with more words and more events, but the plot points will stay roughly the same so the later chapters aren't affected. I will add a few new plot points such as Rinne's primary weapon and more foreshadowing, but overall you don't need to re-read the early chapters to continue.**

 **That's it, I guess. Enjoy this Chapter 8: "Prelude to the Date"**

* * *

The moon that was hidden behind the clouds finally revealed itself in its crescent form, painting the night sky.

Normally, Kurumi and Rinne would love this scenery. A cemetery bathed in the moonlight night, decorated with lonely tombstones, and a wide grin on the sky.

Not in their current mood, though.

"Did I instill that much fear into you... or you just don't want to see me like that again, Kurumi...?"

There was not much things that could make Kurumi pause.

The anguished voice of her partner was one of them.

" _...I really said it, didn't I?"_

As partners, Kurumi and Rinne knew about each other very well. Perhaps, they knew each other better than they did anyone else.

So, Kurumi knew that mentioning Rinne's Inversion was going to hurt her. That's why Kurumi turned her back on her.

But as much as she hated to see her partner upset, Kurumi didn't feel wrong at all.

 _"Rinne needed to be taught... what 'self-preservation' meant."_

With that in mind, the Nightmare turned around once more, staring her partner down.

"You never learn, do you?"

"W-what?"

Kurumi didn't answer Rinne's question and asked her back.

For her part, Rinne didn't seem to understand what Kurumi meant. Seeing this, the Nightmare Spirit decided to be blunt.

"You think that I fear Inverse Spirits because of you. You are right about that."

Rinne flinched, almost as if she was physically struck by Kurumi's words.

Kurumi bit her lip. She didn't want to say that to her friend, even if they both were aware of that fact.

However, she had to say it all.

"But despite what you might think, I don't hate you for that, Rinne. If anything, that day convinced me... that I **refuse** to see you suffer in despair. Not when I can help it."

"..."

Kurumi was neither trying to sound sincere or exaggerate. It was genuine, and she was serious. Kurumi treasured Rinne, and she didn't want to lose her friend to despair ever again.

The Nightmare knew that the Ruler was probably not expecting the heartfelt statement. That much was clear at her stunned expression.

Seeing this, Kurumi was not about to give her partner any chance to process her words or argue back. Slowly, she approached Rinne step by step.

"And you know what? I'm not the only one who don't want to see you risking yourself. There's that man you love..."

"W, what about him?"

Rinne became flustered, at the way Kurumi mentioned Shido. Seeing this however, Kurumi only narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Rinne... you know what I'm talking about. Don't try to dodge it."

The Ruler averted her eyes from the Nightmare's accusing stare.

Kurumi already knew that Rinne understood what she meant. After all, the reason why the Ruler was so adamant on going through despite the risk was related to it.

Rinne's objective when she arrived in Tenguu City was to read Shido's past beyond five years ago, to find out any possible connections between herself and Shido.

She had to wait until after Honjou Nia was sealed by Shido to get this done, to prevent everyone, be it Nia or the Ratatoskr, from investigating about herself or Kurumi.

This was why Kurumi didn't give any indication to Nia that she knew Shido before, so that Nia wouldn't think of informing Shido and the Ratatoskr about her meeting with Kurumi until after Nia herself was sealed.

At that point Nia's powers would be Shido's to use, and it was highly unlikely that Shido would pry into Kurumi's (or really, anyone's) past. This way, Rinne could enter the picture without worrying anybody investigating about her.

As Nia unexpectedly lost her powers, all Rinne had to do were to read Shido's past now. But Rinne never intended to do it without his consent, which was why she set up the date in the first place, in order to get Shido to trust her.

But now an unexpected problem presented itself, which was Shido's mental trauma.

That would endanger Rinne or Kurumi if they tried to read his memory, and avoiding to do so would defeat the purpose of the date itself, and really, Rinne's entire visit in the first place.

Rinne surely knew what that meant. Her plan was basically ruined.

Kurumi noticed that Rinne clenched her fists, clearly frustrated.

"No, not yet... It's not over yet! I can still-"

"Face it, partner. Shido-san won't agree to you if he knew the risk, and I don't think you are immoral enough to just ignore his, as well as my disapproval."

Kurumi calmly, and coldly cut her off with a simple statement.

She knew that she was being ironic. Kurumi, a murderer, was stopping and reprimanding Rinne for being immoral.

If Kurumi wasn't her friend, Rinne would certainly take offense to that.

Hearing this however, the Ruler's eyes looked like life itself was drained out of it.

"Then what should I do? I don't want to give up on this, Kurumi... I don't..."

Kurumi curved her lips into her signature smirk.

 _"Don't worry, Rinne."_

The Nightmare had already got that covered.

"I never said you should give up. I only said you shouldn't risk yourself."

Rinne raised an eyebrow at that.

"What are you trying to imply? You sound like you have another plan."

"That's because I do."

Hearing the confident statement from her, Rinne's expression brightened a bit, but only a little. Kurumi frowned slightly at that.

Considering the current situation though, Kurumi couldn't blame her for being skeptical.

"I will elaborate, for the sake of your clarity."

The Nightmare Spirit smirked and opened her hand, as an olden-style, flintlock pistol flung itself out of her shadow into her hand.

Seeing this, her partner let out a sigh.

"Really? You are using [Yod] just to explain a plan to me? Is it that complicated?"

"It's much faster than explaining, you know."

"When did you prepare for this?"

"It doesn't need preparation. I just came up with it some minutes ago, when we were talking."

"Eh? Are you sure that it's going to work?"

Worry suddenly colored the Ruler's expression. Kurumi flashed her a grin.

"Why don't you see it for yourself?"

Kurumi turned around and shot the bullet through her own chest, which passed harmlessly and ended on Rinne's body, transferring her recent memories just like before.

"Wha...?"

As Rinne gasped in surprise, Kurumi turned again at her partner, waiting for her reaction.

Rinne looked positively shocked. She froze in place, eyes-wide, unresponsive.

Taking that as a sign that the plan was accepted, Kurumi chuckled.

"It's perfect, ain't it?"

Kurumi grinned proudly. It was the best plan in her recent years, and she came up with this literally minutes ago in her head.

 _"I bet this will succeed-"_

However, her thoughts were suddenly cut off, as without giving her any warning, Rinne pulled Kurumi into a hug.

Caught off-guard, Kurumi only managed to gasp as Rinne's hands linked behind her back, her head beside Rinne's.

"Wait, what are you doing!?"

"It's magnificent, Kurumi!"

As Rinne happily squealed while pulling her closer, Kurumi frantically struggled to break free, grabbing Rinne's waist to try and push the Ruler away.

Unfortunately for Kurumi, it seemed that Rinne was stronger than her, both physically and Spiritually.

Worse, Rinne seemed to notice that Kurumi grabbed her by the waist, and she took that as a sign of acceptance and hugged tighter.

"I always thought that you are smart, but not **this** much!"

Kurumi's body was practically squeezed now.

 _"Calm down- I need to get her to free me!"_

She forced herself to speak.

"Err, thanks for that, but why doing this!?"

"Thank you so much! For a moment there I thought I was hopeless! I don't know what would I do if you weren't here!"

"I suppose I'll appreciate that, but I would appreciate it more if you let me go!"

Finally realizing that she was not enjoying the embrace, Rinne let out an 'oh' and let Kurumi go.

As soon as she was free, Kurumi immediately took a few steps back, wary of another 'attack'

"Next time, you should warn me... your strength is insane..."

Kurumi checked her body whether she broke anything. Hopefully not, she didn't want to use [Fourth Bullet (Dalet)] on something like this.

On Rinne's end, she took a deep breath, calming herself down.

"I'm sorry. But I mean it, Kurumi."

"You mean you are seriously trying to kill me? Oh, I appreciate that."

The sarcasm made Rinne pause to laugh a bit, causing Kurumi to roll her eyes.

"No, I mean thank you for this solution you gave me. This is..."

Kurumi's eyes grew wide as soon as she heard a sniffle from Rinne.

Her partner's eyes were already wet with fresh tears.

"...No, you already know how much this means for me."

Rinne smiled widely at her, prompting Kurumi to sigh.

At the sight of tears, Kurumi whispered 'crybaby', before returning the smile.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Somewhere within Ratatoskr's secret base, a certain blue-haired boy was squirming restlessly on his bed, at the corner of his room.

Even though he was clad in his pajamas, it was a tough night... er, technically morning since it was already one hour past midnight, for Shido to sleep.

Probably because he spent most of the night unconscious, his body probably had gotten the rest it needed. That should be a good thing, since it left him with more free time. But now he didn't have anything to fill in it.

Shido would like to spend more time with Rio, but Reine had to perform more checks on her because of her materializing a piano, something that was neither her Astral Dress or Angel, an ability previous Spirits never displayed. Shido couldn't disturb them.

The others were probably sleeping at their apartment, so the Itsuka household would be empty at this hour, and he still had much time left before he had to return to prepare breakfast.

However, the biggest obstacle between him and sleeping now was his own mind. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday.

Meeting Rinne. Stalking her and Kurumi. Losing consciousness due to an image of Rinne killing him. Greeted by a girl that was, for all intents and purposes, his own daughter. Shido couldn't stop thinking about it, at all.

"What should I do...?"

However, suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Shido?"

A voice from outside the door called.

Shido jumped at the call. He knew who was talking.

"Kotori?"

"Oh, you are still awake?"

As the redheaded girl entered the room, black ribbons on, and still clad in her uniform from earlier, Shido sat up from his position in bed.

"Yeah, I can't sleep."

Kotori then grabbed a chair, dragged it next to Shido's bed, before sitting on it.

Understanding that she wanted to talk, Shido continued.

"What about you? Are you done with the date plan?"

"I am done. All that's left is the execution."

"I see..."

Shido stopped for a moment, before deciding to change the subject.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Kotori twitched. Seemed that he caught her off-guard.

"So you can be perceptive sometimes, huh?"

"Well, I AM your brother."

The little sister chuckled, before continuing.

"I guess I'll start with this: Shido, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I guess."

"Are you sure? You passed out because of a serious mental trauma, you know."

"At the very least I don't feel unhealthy, so I'll stick to my statement."

Kotori took a hard look at Shido's face, as if she was studying his expression.

Shido became uncomfortable, and averted his gaze.

"No. You are most assuredly not fine. At the very least you are worried about something right now."

Shido smiled. He couldn't lie to Kotori, alright.

He decided to be honest.

"No, really. I'm not feeling down, just... confused."

"Finally you are being honest... you should have just said it, you idiot."

"Sorry."

"Humph."

As Kotori crossed her arms while huffing, Shido bowed his head to show that he was indeed sorry.

"But well... no one can blame you for being confused right now."

"I suppose..." Shido stared to his bed.

The two of them stopped for a moment, before the redhead broke the silence.

"Shido?"

"Yes?"

Kotori took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for yesterday."

"Eh?"

Shido uttered dumbfoundedly, prompting her to sigh.

"Yesterday evening I did many things I shouldn't have, didn't I? I yelled at you, I pinned you, and I... said something without thinking. So, I apologize, Shido."

Shido turned his gaze at Kotori, who blushed out of embarrassment and looked away.

Of course, Shido knew what Kotori meant. The argument they had yesterday.

Honestly, most of it didn't bother Shido at all. He made Kotori worried, so taking the brunt of her wrath was the least he could do to make amends.

But one question disturbed Shido to no end.

" _Are you in love with her?"_ with 'her' referring to Sonogami Rinne.

The unexpected question had caught him off-guard that time, but honestly, even now, Shido wasn't sure what to answer that.

"Ah, don't think too much about it. You were worried about me, and I would probably do the same to you if our position were swapped." Shido replied quickly.

Kotori raised an eyebrow, noticing something.

"You don't mind about it?"

"Yeah."

"Even though what I did could be considered abuse?"

"Abuse is your regular treatment of me, Kotori."

Shido tried to joke, trying to lighten the mood. Kotori however ignored it, and glared more closely at him.

"Even about the part where I accused you of being in love?"

It was Shido's turn to twitch.

" _...I am as good as a book in front of her, am I?"_

Shido sighed, before he returned Kotori's gaze.

"You are unbelievably sharp, Kotori."

"I AM your sister, after all. So you are troubled about it, aren't you?"

"...Yes."

As Shido admitted that, Kotori crossed her arms once more, this time deep in thought.

Shido noticed that the girl looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to. Shido could tell through her eyes.

At that, Shido only waited. Kotori should continue at her own pace.

Which she did, a few moments later.

"Shido, yesterday you said that when you were with Ruler, you felt something, didn't you?"

"Err, yeah, 'something'."

As Kotori questioned, Shido emphasized his last word, as he clearly didn't understand about it.

Regardless, Kotori pressed.

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't really know..."

Kotori stared into Shido's eyes, trying to search for any answers.

However, Shido was fully honest this time. Seeing that, Kotori continued.

"The Ruler you met in that school yesterday evening, she wasn't in her Astral Dress, was she?"

"Um, yeah. She wasn't."

"I see. Then, when you were stalking her last night, before you passed out, what do you feel?"

Shido suddenly felt chill ran down his spine. The image of Ruler killing him returned.

He was certainly terrified. Rinne didn't even feel like the same person in her Astral Dress.

"I... I feel afraid, I guess."

"As I thought..."

Kotori's response took Shido's attention.

"Eh? As you thought? How do you know?"

"You know, you are not the only one who felt it."

"I'm not the only one? What do you mean?"

"Well, you are not the only one who felt dread seeing the Ruler. Origami reported that she felt it, too."

"Origami?"

"Maybe others also felt it, but they didn't say. And to be honest, me too. I can't even stand seeing Ruler's photo for a minute."

As Kotori confessed about that, Shido was surprised. He didn't think Rinne could cause such an effect on anyone else.

"You can't? Is it that bad?"

Kotori frowned at his question.

"Says the person who passed out the moment she revealed her face."

"Uhh..."

Shido was utterly silenced by Kotori's sharp reply.

 _"Well... you are right... but you don't need to say it like that, right?"_

* * *

As Kotori replied at Shido's ironic statement, she sighed.

Shido clearly didn't notice that she was very worried.

 _"He hasn't realized it... has he?"_

It seemed that Kotori had to be blunt with him.

"Shido, are you sure you will go to the date today?"

"Huh?"

As Kotori finally asked the question, Shido merely raised an eyebrow.

"Why asking? Haven't we decided on this yesterday?"

"I decided to accept yesterday because I didn't know how dangerous this Spirit actually is. But now-"

Shido suddenly raised his hand, cutting Kotori off.

"You think, she is too dangerous, is that what you are saying?"

He followed it up with a question, his tone and expression serious.

Taken aback by his brother's change in tone, Kotori only managed to utter a single word.

"...Yes."

"Kotori... I think I said I'm not going to pass on any chance to save a Spirit."

Kotori knew her brother would say that. That was exactly the thing she dreaded.

"But she is very dangerous! Don't you understand?"

Shido's determination didn't waver on his eyes. Seeing this, Kotori clenched her fists to hold back her feelings.

"She can somehow affect your psyche, even though you are protected by the powers of 8 Spirits! Not even Nia when she went Inverse could do that! What if she..."

Kotori stopped herself, her eyes wide. She realized what she almost said.

...Was actually brainwashing you into this.

That was what Kotori almost said. She wanted to say it, but she was afraid. What if Shido wasn't?

Shido seemed to understand, and fortunately for her, he ignored it.

"I guess... but that only matters if she intended to harm me."

"She **did** try! Have you forgotten last night already?"

As Kotori brought back that topic, her brother paused, clearly recalling something.

However, that didn't stop him for long.

"That's not necessarily her doing, and even if it was, I still don't think she intended to."

"How could she unintentionally strike fear in our hearts, and knocked you out cold!?"

"I don't know, but I still think that's the case. Just like what I said about Kurumi... if Sonogami Rinne wanted to harm me in any way, she would have done it when I was alone with her at that school."

"That's..."

Kotori hesitated. That point indeed made sense, it was a wasted opportunity for them if they truly intended to harm him.

Her hesitation gave Shido a chance to continue.

"Besides, I made a promise with her. I **will** meet her today, after school, for a date."

"You-"

"And you made a promise to help me. I will not let you go back on your word."

Shido's eyes were locked firmly on hers.

It's like it was saying, 'go ahead, try and change my mind.'

Seeing that, Kotori faltered.

"...Has 'self-preservation' ever crossed your mind?"

"It has crossed my mind, many times. It's just that 'saving others' is roughly on the same level of priority in my mind, Kotori."

"You lied. 'Others' are clearly on the higher priority."

"I did say, 'roughly'."

"Normal people usually prioritize themselves over others."

"I don't think anyone who can seal powers with a kiss can be called normal."

Kotori let out a long, defeated sigh at that argument. It was one of the most ridiculous sentences she ever heard.

What was worse that, Shido was right.

When she couldn't even come up with a comeback, Kotori knew she couldn't change her brother's mind.

But she was also relieved.

A brainwashed Shido could never talk back like that.

 _"I believe in you, Oni-chan. I have faith in you."_

* * *

"...Then our conversation is over. Have it your way, Oni-chan."

"Thank you, Kotori."

Kotori put on a wry smile stood up from the chair, ready to leave. Shido smiled in return.

 _"Thank you, Kotori. I'll make sure I won't betray your trust in me."_

All of a sudden however, the room's door was opened and a plum-haired girl entered where they were, startling the siblings.

"Papa?"

"Rio?"

Shido was surprised. How did Rio get here? Had Reine-san finished yet?

"What are you doing here? Reine-san is done with you?"

"Yes! Now Papa and Rio can be together!"

As Rio bounced up and down in cheer, the Itsuka siblings turned to each other.

"Well, I'll see you later. Shido."

"Yeah. See you later."

Shido watched as Kotori left the room and closed the door, not noticing that Rio crawled to his bed.

When Shido turned his attention back to the room, Rio was right beside him, her face inches away from Shido's.

"Eh!? Rio?!"

"Papa, let's do something fun!"

"Err, I guess. But you don't want to sleep, Rio?"

"Papa doesn't sleep, so Rio won't!"

"I see..."

Shido thought back on his priorities. Absolutely nothing to do right now.

" _Well, I have four hours before I have to return back home for breakfast."_

Shido smiled, and patted 'his daughter' on the head.

"Then let's play, Rio."

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapter was not satisfying enough, since honestly, I don't feel quite satisified with this chapter. Just state it in the reviews if you feel the same way, I WILL fix it.**


	9. The Date at Last: Part I

**A/N: Hello guys! It's been a month since the announcement and the poll. If you don't remember, I will retype it a bit:**

 **You see, because of this fic's similarity to the DAL games, as well as Rinne's and Rio's appearance, more and more people suggest me to summon characters like Maria, Marina and even Mayuri in.**

 **I'm basically asking of your opinion in the matter. Should I add them or not? I don't care whether you tell me through reviews or PMs, just tell me your honest opinion.**

 **I'll give you a bit of information before that though:**

 **1.** **I will NOT add Maria. As far as I'm concerned, she is already in the story, as AI in the new Fraxinus. I don't know the author's intentions with her, and I'm not taking liberties with her.**

 **2.** **Marina is a fair game. I can add her if I want, since her origin is really flexible.**

 **3.** **Mayuri is also a fair game. No, actually, I really want her to appear here.**

 **Time to close it, and the new update! Remember that I won't announce the result, ask me personally if you want to know the results, or just check my profile. Check out the updated early chapters as well!**

 **I'm sorry for the one-month long hiatus, since I was busy with college stuffs (the usual early orientation hell). Even now I barely have any time to write, although I managed to write a one-shot for RWBY during this one month.**

 **Note: I never owned DAL, nor the song that I'm using for this chapter. All credits should go to their respective owners.**

 **Now this is chapter 9, "The Date at Last, Part I".**

* * *

It was almost dawn. The sun had just begun to rise, embracing the world with its warmth.

It was just what Rinne needed, after a long, cold night.

In the graveyard Rinne had come to like, the Ruler Spirit, in her usual transparent blouse, was staring against the brightening horizon, sitting under a large tree.

Rinne had always loved sunrise. It marked the beginning of a new day, a new cycle. Another day for her to plow through.

It also helped her ease her nerves.

"Are you really that nervous, partner?"

The sound came from her trusted timekeeper.

Kurumi -clad in her black Lolita dress- sat right behind her, their bodies leaning against each other, Rinne's back against Kurumi's.

Rinne liked the feeling it gave. It was comforting, to feel someone leaning on her like that. It reminded her of one thing.

" _That I'm not alone."_

"Yes, I am nervous. This will be my first date..." Rinne whispered.

"Really." Kurumi chuckled. "You are modest."

"I can't help it. I didn't get a chance to date anyone as a human, and I certainly don't have any after I received [Cassiel]..."

"And neither did I. Don't worry, Shido-san can handle it."

"I know he can handle it." Rinne sighed. "What I'm not sure is whether or not **I** can handle it."

"Fufufu... you worry too much." Kurumi snickered. "It's just a date. What's the worst that can happen?"

"AST, DEM, or even another Spirit... so many things could go wrong." Rinne listed.

"There's no need to bother yourself with such trivial matters. This is your date, relax. I will personally ensure that you get to enjoy it." Kurumi smirked.

Rinne widened her eyes a bit, understanding what Kurumi meant.

"...Thanks."

"You've been saying that a lot recently."

Rinne chuckled. Yes, Kurumi was right. Since last night, since yesterday.

Since she met Shido, face-to-face.

"Maybe Shido is infecting my head."

The Nightmare Spirit giggled creepily at that. Suddenly, Rinne felt uncomfortable.

Stifling her laughter, Kurumi spoke.

"Well, if you are really grateful, I want you to do something for me during your date."

"Hmm?" Rinne raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Oh," Kurumi's tone became sarcastic, "you will like it."

"...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"It's because you have a sharp instinct."

* * *

"Papa? Where are you?"

Shido could barely manage to hold his laughter as he heard Rio's sing-song voice from the distance.

Being unable to sleep, Shido spent the rest of his early morning hours playing with his supposed daughter. They had been playing all kinds of games, from the simple tic-tac-toe to the game arcades that Ratatoskr provided.

Now, they were playing hide-and-seek.

"Rio is looking for Papa, Rio is looking for Papa~"

Although Shido couldn't see it, hiding behind a sofa, he could picture Rio running around looking for him, which she would no doubt, in a few more moments.

Shido was enjoying this. The game turned out to be much more fun than he thought at first. From Rio's helplessness at doing simple things, her child-like innocence and curiosity.

Shido loved every part of it. He loved every part of her.

"Papa! There you are!"

"Oh, you found me!"

"Yay!"

The little girl jumped at him, hanging on Shido's shoulders as her face was muffled to his chest.

"Rio found Papa!" Rio said, gazing up to smile at Shido.

"Good girl." Shido returned the curve.

Shido then gently put her back on her feet, and crouched to level his eyes on hers.

"Now then, what should we play next?"

To his surprise, Rio shook her head.

"Papa, it's almost time for breakfast."

" _Oh, right..."_

Shido took out his phone and glanced at the clock. Indeed, it was 5.30 A.M, about time for him to return.

It suddenly bugged him, though. _"How did Rio know that it's time for me to return?"_

Did they pass by a clock?

Shido decided to ignore it, as he had a more pressing issue to talk about.

"Rio?"

"Yes, Papa?"

"I'm about to return home and go for school... would you, you know, return inside me for a while? I don't want the others to see you, just yet."

"Okay! If that's what Papa wanted. But, Papa?"

"Yes?"

"May Rio... talk to Mama?"

Shido froze. It literally didn't cross his mind, the idea of Rio meeting Rinne.

" _Oh right... what would she feel about this?"_

Shido could only imagine how awkward it would be to have someone who called herself your child while you were dating someone you hadn't even married to.

" _No! That's just... weird."_

Shido was about to say 'no' when Rio continued.

"Please?" She begged, her eyes locked at Shido's.

Shido already knew that it was something he couldn't resist.

" _Could anyone with a heart even refuse, seeing that?"_

"Okay... you may." Shido gave in.

"Yay!" Rio jumped cheerfully.

" _Well, it's not like Rinne would mind... I hope."_

* * *

" _Hmm, hmm! So this is Papa's house!"_

Rio's voice continued to echo in his head as Shido finally arrived to the empty Itsuka household.

Which Shido enjoyed, actually.

" _Welcome home, Rio!"_ Shido thought cheerfully.

" _Yes! Rio's home!"_ Shido could imagine Rio jump saying that.

Shido glanced at the clock. 6.00 A.M. Time to prepare for breakfast.

As he stood before the kitchen, Shido began to consider his options.

" _Hmm... what would they want?"_

" _Maybe they would want Udon?"_

" _Early in the morning? Maybe not..."_

" _Um... Onigiri?"_

After Shido and Rio silently discussed for a few minutes, they finally decided to settle for Soba noodles.

As Shido wore the apron and began to take out the ingredients, he cracked his knuckles.

" _Let's do this!"_ Shido announced mentally.

" _Yeah!"_ Rio raised her imaginary fists.

* * *

"Phew..."

As he finished preparing the dish for everyone, Shido was resting on one of the numerous chairs on the dining table.

" _Are you tired, Papa?"_

" _Ha ha, of course no. I've been through worse."_

Recalling the training he was subjected to by Kotori, Shido laughed at the back of his mind.

Of course, Rio too could now see it.

" _Um... Papa, did you go through all of this?"_

" _I'd rather not think about it..."_

Before he could continue, however, a pair of hands closed his eyes from behind.

"Wha...?"

He couldn't see anything, but Shido was able to tell who was holding him from behind.

The skin was soft, and her touch was warm. Shido knew a lot of girls like that, but only four who would have the nerve to do this.

One was hospitalized. Another didn't know that he was here. That left only two.

One of the two was loud and couldn't sneak up on him. That left only one.

"O-Origami!? Where did you pop out from?" Shido said frantically.

"What do you mean? I came through the front door." Origami said in her usual tone.

"That's clearly a lie!" Shido exclaimed.

"As expected from Shido. He is sharp."

"Why do you suddenly sound so proud!?"

The girl didn't reply and removed her hands from his eyes, and instead gently held Shido's cheeks.

Shido could feel heat building up within his body, but he decided not to give in and continued.

"So, uh... Origami, why don't you sit down and have your breakfast?" Shido gestured to the noodles.

To his surprise, Origami didn't respond. She stayed in place, behind Shido's chair. Out of his sight.

Noticing something was wrong, Shido spoke.

"What's wrong, Origami?"

She didn't reply. Instead, Origami asked back.

"Will you be okay?"

Origami's hoarse voice startled Shido.

"Eh?!"

Instinctively, Shido wanted to stand up and turn around to see her, but that moment, he realized the hands holding his cheeks were trembling.

"Answer me, Shido... will you be okay?"

He could feel his heart being wrenched at her pleading tone.

"Wait, what do you…" Shido paused.

Shido couldn't answer that, just yet. He needed to know **why** and **how** Origami became like that.

"Eh…?"

Origami uttered with a surprised tone, as Shido held her hands in turn.

"Origami. Let me go." Shido asked, his tone firm.

The girl became silent for a moment, hesitating. However, in a few moments, she reluctantly obliged.

Shido mentally prepared himself as he turned at Origami.

It was almost like a doll crying in sorrow.

The clear blue eyes Origami usually had was dark and tired. Her smooth, nearly reflective white hair was now messed up, and even her pajamas looked like it was crumpled.

Shido couldn't hide his surprise. "Answer me first, Origami. What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep, last night..." Origami rubbed her eyes.

"Why?"

"I was worried about you..."

Suddenly guilt filled his heart. Shido presumed that all the girls were asleep when he woke up near mid-night, hence why he decided not to visit them until now.

He forgot that they must be very worried about him.

Shido stared at Origami's tired eyes. Was she the only one that didn't sleep at all? What about the others? They were not soldiers, they might be even worse than Origami right now.

" _Papa?"_ Rio said, concerned. _"I sense discomfort..."_

For once, Shido ignored Rio.

 _"What I was doing? While they were worried about me..."_

Without giving her any warning, Shido pulled Origami to an embrace, gently holding her head against his chest.

"Shido...?" Origami whispered.

"I'm sorry, Origami. But I'm here now, I'm fine. Don't worry."

It was Shido's turn to gently stroke her hair. Although tense at first, eventually Origami relaxed and embraced him back.

"Thank you, Shido..."

Shido stayed that way for a long while.

* * *

After almost ten minutes, the blue-haired boy and the white-haired girl had finished their breakfast.

"This is good, Shido."

"Thank Kotori for that."

Origami smiled as Shido chuckled lightly, as both of them were eating in a slow, relaxed pace, savouring the now-cold noodles.

She was delighted. Even if it was not warm anymore, the taste more than made up for it.

After they were done, however, Shido suddenly faced her with another one of his serious expression.

"Origami, what about the others?"

Origami didn't need to be told what he meant. Of course, Shido was worried about the other girls.

"Yatogami Tohka, Yoshino and Natsumi slept as soon as we returned. Yamai seemed to fall asleep this morning while playing their video game. I don't know about Miku."

It honestly didn't sound good, and it wouldn't make Shido feel better at the least. However, Origami had absolutely no reason to lie to Shido.

As expected, Shido smiled bitterly.

"I hope they slept well..."

Origami didn't bother to comment on that.

"I will apologize to each of them later... as many times as it takes."

Shido sighed.

"Origami... I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught the meaning of your question just now."

The white-haired girl raised a brow this time. What did he mean?

Seeing her confused, Shido pressed his question.

"Ah. What do you mean, 'will you be okay'? I'm here, right before you. I'm okay."

Origami suppressed her discomfort.

She had wanted to talk about this when the other Spirits and perhaps Itsuka Kotori was around, but she supposed no time was better than now.

"Shido, I was talking about your date with Ruler after school."

At her statement, Shido sighed tiredly.

"Origami... not you, too. Kotori had already talked about this to me."

Origami frowned slightly.

"I'm not telling you to back out of it, Shido. Unlike your sister, I trust you more than I'm worried about you."

He narrowed his eyes. "But you aren't sure whether or not I'm going to be okay after this."

Origami flinched. "I... yes, I doubt it."

Shido sighed. "My decision doesn't change."

That statement somehow made Origami even more worried.

"All of us are worried about your decision this time, Shido. After what we've seen last night. After what I've... experienced."

Origami had never truly felt fear until that moment, when she saw Sonogami Rinne's face.

She used to hate Spirits, and she was terrified of them... but not like that.

Spirits could be fought. As powerful as they were, they were mortal and they were comprehensible.

Ruler wasn't.

" _Eh?"_

Origami felt something squeezed her hand.

She looked down on the table. Shido was holding her hand.

"...Origami."

The sheer emotion in Shido's voice made Origami's mind halt.

"...Yes, Shido?"

Dumbfoundedly, Origami could only say that.

"I'm going to be okay."

Shido held her hand tighter. His brown eyes had whitened pupils, and was focused on her.

He was serious.

Origami loved that part of him. He could comfort her out of her worries, he could promise and not break it.

But Origami couldn't quite trust that, now.

"We will be there, Shido. We will watch over you."

Shido looked like he wanted to argue, but he decided against it.

Instead, he spoke in a gentle tone.

"If that will make you forgive me... I'm fine with it."

It was Origami's turn to hold Shido's hand with her other hand.

"Is that a promise, Shido?"

"It is a promise, Origami."

Origami looked onto his eyes for a moment, before she smiled warmly and let go of his hand.

As Shido returned the favor and let go of her hand, she continued.

"I think you should go to school." Origami noted.

"Eh?" Shido raised an eyebrow. "Why not wait for the others?"

Origami giggled lightly. "Shido... if you take your time to comfort the others like you did with me, all of us will be late for school."

Shido blushed at that. "O-oh... yeah."

"Go. If you are not here, we will not be late." Origami stated.

"You speak like I'm not wanted here." Shido chuckled.

"On the contrary," Origami smiled, "you are the best thing we ever have in our lives."

Origami could see Shido trying to hide his blushing cheeks as he walked up the stairs.

* * *

" _I'm sorry, Rio... I didn't mean to ignore you like that."_

Shido mentally apologized as he was cleaning himself in the bathroom.

Rio was almost showering Shido with questions of concern while he was talking with Origami, only silencing herself up after he embraced Origami.

Although it should be considered common courtesy for someone to not disturb them during such moments, Rio was still a child and therefore it was wrong for Shido to just ignore her.

Even if Origami's matter was concerning, he could have at least asked her to stay silent.

" _It's fine, Papa. Rio understands!"_

There was not the slightest sign of Rio being annoyed in her mental voice.

Shido smiled.

" _That's my girl."_

 _"Hum... Papa?"_

" _Yes?"_

There was a pause, as if Rio was thinking for a moment.

" _Will you do that for... Mama, too?"_

Once again, Shido froze at Rio's question.

He knew what she meant. What he did with Origami.

It seemed Rio would often surprise him with ideas he never thought before.

" _I'm afraid I can't promise anything like that, Rio."_

" _Hmm... that's too bad."_

Rio continued to make small talks and comments as Shido finished his bath.

* * *

It was a snowy morning. The gloomy clouds of winter had filled the sky, and the sun's light was just enough for people to recognize that it was day.

Kurumi had left to watch over the city for her date. Now she was taking her time before the long awaited date with Shido.

As Rinne stood on Raizen High's rooftop, clad in her casual clothes, softly singing a song and gently strumming the strings of her lyre -part of Cassiel, her Angel- to pass the time.

 **While the moon and the stars are shining over me,**

 **On a carpet where sparks of fire flutter, you, standing before my eyes,**

 **Illuminated in a red hue, glared your radiant and resolute pupils.**

Rinne didn't follow Japanese cultures all that much, but she was a fan of Japanese songs.

And unlike Kurumi, she was capable of singing them.

 **The sounds of our footsteps resound into the far distance.**

 **I give you my words that I'll entrust you with my all.**

 **We flap our wings and fly towards the future.**

This song was one of her most favorite.

Because, while it depicted the story of two anime-specific characters, one could interpret the lyrics in multiple ways, multiple different stories.

 **After freeing each other from the ensnaring illusions of in-fighting,**

 **If we're going on a journey, I will never let go of this hand again.**

For someone like her...

 **Even now do you still remember vividly the moment**

 **when we first met and looked into each other's eyes?**

 **Even if we should be swallowed up by swirls of slumber,**

 **our dream-the proof of our bond-will never disappear.**

...for a life like hers...

 **As you rested your chin in your hands and smiled,**

 **I felt an urge to protect you.**

 **It took me a long time, but I eventually realized**

 **that you were the reason of my existence.**

...the lyrics were not exaggerating.

It was truth in the form of words.

 **We fly into the sky where lustrous snow precipitates,**

 **cuddling together like the waning moon and the stars.**

 **Our story, sketched by the two of us,**

 **will continue forever from this point on.**

As she reached the end of the first chorus, Rinne decided to stop.

Something was there. Someone was listening.

"What do you want...?"

Rinne whispered.

"Hmm..."

The responding voice didn't seem like a physical sound. It seemed to reach her ears directly without vibrating, not unlike the fate-altering music [Dance with Destiny] that her Cassiel produced.

It was [Phantom], who stood right behind her. Rinne didn't need her eyes to know she was there.

"So you finally decided to come for him... why does it take you so long?"

The Phantom let out a questioning 'hmm' as she asked. Rinne sighed at that.

"I don't need to explain it, do I? You are supposed to be the 'mother' of us, Spirits... you know me." Rinne spoke in a low voice.

"Ha ha ha."

The Phantom let out a distorted laugh.

"True enough. I do understand why."

"..."

The Ruler honestly didn't know how to deal with Phantom. On one hand, she was too mysterious, too secretive to be related with. Even Kurumi told her that she didn't need to be polite whenever she was around.

On the other hand, she was the one who gave her and Kurumi their Angels. Rinne was grateful for that, and it was simply against her nature for Rinne to selectively hate someone.

"Well then, I wish you good luck." Phantom said.

The Phantom was just about to leave before Rinne decided to speak.

"Why do you sympathize with me?" Rinne broke her silence. "You always seem to mock Kurumi for what she wanted. Why do you wish me a good luck?"

Rinne turned around, and gazed at the figure covered in mosaics. It seemed to be affected by her words.

"A naive girl who wishes to change the world and a foolish girl who seeks the forbidden fruit. I wonder which one should I pity more." Phantom answered.

"...Why do you always refer to what I seek as the forbidden fruit?"

"Because it is. You are better off living in ignorance than to know about your connection to that man."

Rinne was deep in thought. It was always like that. The Phantom would leave her cryptic messages, clues that would leave her confused.

Did the enigmatic entity truly care for her, or was she trying to stop her for her own reasons?

"You know everything about us. Why hiding it?" Rinne noted.

"Let me correct you, there."

The Phantom's tone suddenly raised.

"I know everything about **you** , but not exactly everything about him."

The entity then shrugged, as if she wanted her to process that for a moment.

"And no, I'm not hiding things from either of you, or anyone for that matter. I just have no reason to tell any of you the truth."

"But you are not telling us even if we asked." Rinne noted.

The Phantom let out a chuckle again. "That's because it is not enough of a reason."

The two of them continued to stare at one another for a moment, until Phantom's mosaics suddenly disappeared.

Rinne widened her eyes as she saw herself, clad in her Astral Dress, was staring at her. Not because it startled her, but because it was different.

The Astral Dress Phantom was wearing was considerably tighter than the one she had, and it was as dark as the night, with silver markings throughout its form. Her emblem too was a dark shade of silver instead of golden.

Her hair was purple instead of pink, and her irises were glowing black instead of crimson.

It was her Inverse form.

The Phantom giggled, with her voice this time. Somehow, it terrified her even more.

"Surprised?"

Smiling, the Phantom asked with a soft tone.

" **That**..."

Rinne was forced to pause. Her heart beat so quickly she could barely breathe.

"Y, you can even transform into **that**?"

"Why, of course."

Her dark copy shrugged as if it was the obvious thing.

"You... why show it to me?"

At that question, she suddenly smirked. It was so uncharacteristic with her own face, it sent chills down her spine.

"Think of it as my parting gift. You never had the chance to see it firsthand, right? Only though [Zafkiel]'s [Yod]..."

As she said that, her figure slowly dissolved, much like Rinne did when she left Shido here yesterday.

However, not into masses of light, but into what Rinne could only identify as darkness in material form.

Before she disappeared completely, though, Phantom smiled gently as she opened her mouth.

"Your choice of song isn't bad. I wonder if Fate was influencing it."

* * *

 **And there you go! I'm sorry, I feel this chapter is somewhat lacking in comparison to the previous chapters. Probably because I don't have time to practice.**

 **I couldn't apologize enough for putting this story into a one-month hiatus. Honestly, I'm still insanely busy until the end of this month, it's only through sheer luck I can manage to get the chance to type this chapter.**

 **But oh well. Thank you for following Alternate Reincarnation so far! Remember to read the updated versions of the early chapters, and just check my profile if you want to know the result of the poll!**

 **Once again, thanks for reading! Note: The song I used is called 'One' by Altima, Shakugan no Shana Final's 2nd ED Song.**


	10. The Date at Last: Part II

**A/N: Hello again! It's been nearly 2 month since the last chapter...**

 **I. Am. Sick. Of. This. Hiatus. Shit. I'm ashamed it actually took me this long to update.**

 **But no more of that! This is my very first fan fiction (in this website, at least) and I should be able to update it regularly. There are people out there busier than me and yet they manage to update their fics more often.**

 **Maybe this is the first time I informed you of this, but I write fan fictions for the sake of training. I want to hone my writing skills to later become an actual, fiction writer. So if I can't be professional here I can't possibly be professional later.**

 **But enough of this, I know you're here for the next chapter: "The Date at Last, Part II"**

* * *

It was 6.49 A.M as Shido prepared to leave his home.

Origami had asked him to leave earlier before the other girls woke up- which, considering what happened to him last night, would be a good idea.

Therefore, the blue-haired boy took a shower and changed his clothes as quickly as he could, and wrote a note for everyone to eat the Soba noodles. After that, the white-haired Spirit watched him as he was about to leave.

"I'll be leaving, Origami." Shido said as he tied up his shoelaces.

"Take care, Shido." Origami replied.

Shido frowned a bit at her slightly tired tone- he was used to her monotonous reply, so even a slight change in her voice was easily detected.

"Origami, you and the others can skip school and get a rest for today, you know." Shido advised.

"...Thank you Shido, but we can't exactly skip our second day, can we?" Origami reminded.

" _Oh, right..."_ He sighed. Of course they couldn't- this was literally the beginning of the semester. They couldn't be absent this early, could they?

"Oh well. See you later."

Origami replied with the brightest smile she could manage, prompting him to look away and quickened his pace in embarrassment- she rarely smiled, but when she did it was just as irresistible as an angel's.

Closing the door behind him, Shido sighed.

" _Let's go, Papa!"_ Rio said cheerfully.

" _Ah. Let's!"_

Walking out to the street, the blue-haired boy took a deep breath as he readied himself for his day.

"Oh, yeah."

He turned on the communicator in his ears, checking its functionality- he didn't want to be chewed on by Kotori for not telling her that it was broken, after all.

"Hello, Kotori?"

However, at the other end, it was an unexpected voice who replied.

"Ah, Shin." A sleepy voice replied.

"Eh?" It took Shido a second to recognize who it was. "Reine-san?"

"Yes?"

"Um, where is Kotori?"

Shido asked. She was usually the one who led date missions, after all. Reine only took over when she was not present.

"Oh? She mentioned she had to go out for some personal business." The sleepy analyst replied.

Shido raised a brow. "Personal business? What kind of?"

"We don't know. Kotori only asked us to wait, and if she doesn't return by the time you are done with school, we are ordered to begin without her."

"Eh?" Shido's instincts were alarmed. "What? Do you know where she is going?"

"Unfortunately, no. I did ask, but she was not willing to answer."

Shido's concern grew. It's not unusual for Kotori to go somewhere he didn't know, but when she went without informing the Ratatoskr, that's a whole different story.

" _Where is she going...?"_

"Any clue as to where she is going?"

Shido heard a contemplative 'hmm' at the other side, before Reine answered.

"We can try searching her Spirit siganture."

"Please do, Reine-san."

* * *

Kurumi was having a good day.

As the cold breeze of winter swept her cheek, as well as her exposed arms, shoulders, and back, the Nightmare Spirit smiled at the feeling- she could still feel cold, but her Astral Dress reduced the sensation to comfortable levels.

Standing over the tallest building in Tenguu City once again, the Spirit of Time took a glance at her partner's location, the Raizen High School.

" _I hope she is not too nervous..."_

Kurumi was honestly slightly worried. Even though she knew that her partner was strong- in many sense of the word, she couldn't suppress the concern.

Her Angel made her a force to be reckoned with, and despite her gentle and meek nature, Rinne was a mother-like figure underneath. She could handle things beyond Kurumi's imagination.

And yet, the Nightmare Spirit couldn't help but feel concerned for her partner.

" _...Heh."_ Kurumi chuckled. _"I'm getting soft..."_

It had been a while since Kurumi was worried about Rinne this much. It irked her a little, since she wasn't even half as worried when her partner was away.

" _Probably because she finally decided to execute her date."_

The quest to find the truth. To find out the connection between Itsuka Shido and Sonogami Rinne.

Kurumi knew it shouldn't concern her this much. They only wanted to seek the truth. She had formulated a plan as well. Nothing should go wrong.

Yet, something she could only describe as a bad feeling kept flowing in.

"...Huh?"

Kurumi turned around as she noticed one of her clones just arrived from the other side of the building.

"[Me]!"

Kurumi frowned at the clone's panicked tone. Only a few things could make [Herself] panicked like that, and that usually meant something bad.

"Ara?" The original spoke. "You look pale. What did you see? Come here."

As her shadow grew in size and became a dark portal, the clone quickly jumped in and disapppeared.

"..."

The Nightmare Spirit widened her eyes as the clone's memory possessed her. It was the clone who watched over Rinne.

Seeing what the clone saw -specifically, who appeared before her partner, and what did she do- Kurumi clenched her fists.

"How dare..."

" **How dare she do that to her**!?"

The Nightmare Spirit yelled in anger as she stomped the floor she was on, causing it to crack.

Gritting her teeth so hard that she felt her teeth would shatter under the sheer pressure, Kurumi growled dangerously.

"Phantom..."

The Nightmare Spirit was enraged. She didn't even have it in her to blame the clone who watched all of this... and did nothing.

It was partially her own fault, she admitted. Kurumi had ordered [Herselves] to gather information. When Phantom appeared, the natural thing to do would be to observe, especially since the enigmatic being had never displayed hostility to anyone.

But this time, Phantom had done the unprecendented- all because her clones didn't immediately attack her on sight.

Kurumi had had enough of the entity's antics. It was one thing to copy Rinne and replicate her mannerisms. But to actually display her Inverse form in front of the girl herself- that was beyond her tolerance.

" _You have done it now..."_ Kurumi's body trembled, barely holding her rage back.

"...!"

Realizing that she almost lost herself to bloodlust, Kurumi quickly took a deep breath to calm herself down.

" _Now is not the time for this."_

Her partner could be seriously affected by the farce Phantom pulled on her. Her Inversion was a sensitive topic -if only because Rinne blamed herself for that- and even Kurumi brought it up with caution. There's no telling what was going in her mind now.

" _Rinne..."_

As much as Kurumi would say otherwise, she was not the best in cheering people up. Especially, not after last night where she basically chewed Rinne about Inversion.

Not caring about others helped a lot when you had to do what you need to do... but it also didn't help one bit when you were trying to console people you **did** care about.

" _...No."_

Kurumi didn't need to intervene. Rinne could handle this by herself. Phantom was just trying to shake her resolve with fear. It wouldn't stop her. Ruler couldn't be stopped that easily.

Just like Kurumi tried with Shido. It wouldn't succeed.

Taking another deep breath, Kurumi closed her eyes.

"I have my own part to do, after all."

* * *

"..."

In Raizen High, the song that were heard had stopped.

Deep in thought, Rinne leaned against the hand-rail of the rooftop, holding her lyre tight on her chest.

" _Even she is trying to stop me..."_

Rinne was frustrated. Before, when she first told Kurumi about her desire to investigate Shido, the Nightmare Spirit too was against it. It took a lot to convince her to help, and even then, it was not until yesterday that Kurumi finally gave her full support, after witnessing the 'connection' herself.

" _And now her..."_

Phantom had never agreed with her in the first place, but today was the very first time the enigmatic entity had ever tried to stop her.

" _To display my Inverse form- she was trying to manipulate me."_

It really had angered and confused her. What connection did she and Shido have, that even Phantom was going that far to hide it? Was it that much of a secret?

What were they? Shido and herself... what connected them?

"Shido..."

However, it was at that moment.

Another intruder was felt.

"Who is there?"

Glaring at the closed door of rooftop, Rinne questioned in an uncharacteristically furious tone.

The Ruler didn't want to sound so, but she almost couldn't help it now. She had enough with Phantom- who consistently came at her and Kurumi by sneaking.

"...We finally meet."

The Ruler Spirit widened her eyes as she recognized the feminine voice- one that Rinne didn't expect.

"Itsuka... Kotori?"

As the redheaded girl stepped into the rooftop with her commander outfit and black ribbons, the lyre-wielder stepped forward, not expecting her presence.

Kotori's face was expressionless as she walked toward the Ruler. She then stopped a few meters ahead of Rinne.

"Why are you...?" The Ruler Spirit asked, but she stopped herself.

Rinne supposed she shouldn't be too surprised- last night, when she was reading [Web of Causality], she did read that Kotori wanted to meet her.

She just didn't expect her to do so in a direct way. Wasn't Kotori suspicious of the Ruler's actions? Shouldn't she be more careful of her?

Rinne tried to calm down. She was provoked by Phantom a few moments ago, but Kotori had no relation to that.

" _Calm down... she doesn't need to take the brunt of my wrath."_

She couldn't, however- the Ruler was thoroughly angered. Among many things Rinne hated, being manipulated and used like a pawn were among the worst in her list. Still, she barely managed a smile as she greeted by curtsying.

"What a surprise. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"

Kotori was slightly taken aback, Rinne noticed, but she recovered quickly.

"You and Kurumi are on the same length, huh? No need to act polite, Sonogami Rinne." the Spirit of Fire replied, slightly annoyed.

Rinne expected that. "Hum. We are partners, so her habits may be rubbing me off."

The redhead frowned slightly. "I suppose you are."

The Ruler Spirit giggled in amusement. Kurumi was right, Kotori was so stiff and fun to tease. It helped her calm her anger a bit.

Rinne couldn't blame Kotori for acting that way, though. For the commander, she was a partner to an enemy- one that might endanger her dear brother.

Knowing that, Rinne had to be careful with her choice of words. Unlike the other Spirits, Kotori could basically call her Spirit strength from Shido at will. A battle against [Blazing Annihilating Demon (Camael)] was going to drain a massive amount of her energy.

The Ruler had to admit though, defeating her was kind of an entertaining thought. Kotori **did** almost kill Kurumi before. It set her off -to the point she had to intervene with [Dance with Destiny]- manipulating events so the berserk Kotori's consciousness returned back at the last second.

That was the one time she had lost her patience. Although to be fair, Kurumi also crossed the line at the time. Sending Shido into utter despair by killing innocent people? Rinne couldn't accept that, ever.

But then again, Shido also Kurumi off by saying 'he would save her'. That... was not a good idea, concerning the Nightmare Spirit.

" _...I really can't decide who is right and who is wrong, at times."_

Now though, Rinne had no time for that. She had to talk with the Spirit of Fire.

"Very well. What do you want from me?"

"...I need to talk with you." Kotori narrowed her eyes.

Rinne pretended to be surprised. She wasn't supposed to know about that, after all.

"Me?" The Ruler narrowed her eyes. "What would you want to talk about? And with me, of all people?"

"I have a lot of questions," Kotori clenched her fists, Rinne noticed, "and I hope you can answer it for me."

"What makes you think I will answer them?"

"Because..."

Kotori paused, looking away from her. It was as if she didn't want to admit something. After a moment, she continued.

"I know you are Tokisaki Kurumi's partner. That alone makes you can't be trusted."

Rinne frowned. Kotori clearly didn't like Kurumi, alright. But she kept silent, letting her go on.

"But," Kotori threw her a glare, "our observation determined that you are not hostile, unlike her. So we decided to approach you."

The Ruler Spirit smiled, and decided to tease her again. "I see... that's nice of you, Kotori-chan."

Kotori twitched. Rinne chuckled at that and continued.

"You are not the patient one, aren't you? Feel free to begin your interrogation anytime, Itsuka sister. I can't guarantee I will answer all of your questions, but I can certainly be your chatmate until evening."

" _Before the date begins, at least."_

"...Very well."

Kotori took a deep breath, seemingly mentally preparing herself.

"Let me start with this: Who are you?"

Rinne raised a brow. "Pardon?"

"I'm asking for your identity, Sonogami Rinne. You are a Spirit- and I'm sure you know that in Japan, every single case of Spirit appearances are recorded by the Ratatoskr, the JGSDF, and the DEM." Kotori elaborated.

"However, while we can find records about your partner, Tokisaki Kurumi, we are incapable of finding anything about you. That's nearly impossible for a Spirit."

Rinne decided to respond at that point. "In short, you want to know who am I, and how did I manage to stay under the radar until now. Am I correct?"

Kotori narrowed her eyes at her. "Yes."

Rinne thought about that for a moment. A dangerous information to leak, but she supposed she could tell her bits and pieces of her background.

"Do you know that all Spirits used to be humans?" Rinne asked.

"We do." Kotori replied.

"That makes it easier, then. Phantom gave me my Sephira Crystal five years ago."

Kotori widened her eyes at her statement, but Rinne wasn't finished yet.

"And before you ask, yes... it was on that day. **3** **rd** **of August**."

* * *

Kotori's heart almost skipped a beat.

" _ _3rd August!?"__

It was the very day Kotori was transformed into a Spirit by Phantom. It was also the day Shido and Kurumi time-travelled to, in order to stop Origami from killing her own parents.

Rinne smiled. "Phantom made contract with me after she did yours. What a coincidence, eh?"

" _ _Coincidence? I think not."__ Kotori thought. That day was even more fateful than she thought before...

"Did Phantom erase your memories, or did you keep them?"

The commander had to ask that. It seemed inconsistent, Kotori and most other Spirits had their memories erased immediately after contract. However, two recently born Spirits -Miku and Origami- didn't.

"I lost my memories." Rinne closed her eyes. "For an entire year, I spent my time without an identity, and all I had were my [Cassiel]. Fortunately, my powers did allow me to evade AST constantly, so I am quite lucky, I suppose."

"...How do you remember your contract then?"

Rinne shrugged. "Didn't Shido tell you about Kurumi's ability to see past memories? She used that to recover my memories."

Kotori heard that from Shido, but she needed confirmation. So it was true- then, it could be concluded that Rinne met Kurumi sometime after turning into a Spirit.

"Unfortunately," Rinne sighed, "I cannot tell you about my Angel, or my background anymore than that. Is that fine?"

"That's fine with me. Now, my next question."

The commander had already expected that Rinne wouldn't reveal everything. In truth, asking her questions weren't the only reason she came here.

Kotori wanted to find out more about this Spirit. Ruler was very suspicious- her methods, her behavior, her ****everything****. Kotori might let Shido endanger himself, but not without her preparing for it.

If Sonogami Rinne had a malicious intent with this date, Kotori had to stop it. With force, if needed. Kotori promised she was going to help Shido... this counted as help, right?

So far though, the Spirit in front of her didn't display any signs of lying. She answered her questions with bits of information, meaning she was hiding the whole truth. If she was malevolent- lying would be much simpler.

Kotori locked her eyes at Rinne's, ready for further questioning.

"What do you want with Shido?"

The Ruler raised a brow at the question. It seemed to ask, 'what do you mean?' Seeing this, Kotori decided to be blunt.

"Kurumi wants to eat him, does she? Do you share her goal?" Kotori said venomously.

If they are planning to hurt Shido, then there would be no need for further concern. Kotori would stop her.

At her words however, Rinne only sighed wearily.

"Why do you antagonize her so much? I know she has her faults, but she doesn't intend to kill Shido, you know."

" _What?"_

Kotori was about to burst in anger and rebuke her at that point, 'Kurumi didn't intend to kill him?' That's a complete nonsense. However, she kept silent, and listened.

"...What do you mean?" Kotori asked.

"[Zafkiel] is an Angel that manipulates time. However, all that power comes at the price of her life. Do you think she has an option when she has to steal lives? All she wants are Shido's Spirit mana- she has no intention to kill him."

That received Kotori's attention.

 _ _"Kurumi__ _ _i__ _ _s only interested in his powers?"__

Now her actions made sense- so Kurumi hadn't decided to eat Shido yet because she wanted him to gather as much Spirit mana as possible.

But Shido had the Spirit mana of 8 Spirits now, and she hadn't done anything to him yet. What sort of thing Kurumi would like to do with that much power?

Regardless, Kotori had her own saying in the matter.

"That doesn't excuse her actions. I think, if my observations are right... you seem to disagree with her actions as well."

Rinne twitched at the sentence. It seemed that Kotori's deductions were spot on.

"Why did you... befriend a killer? Why someone like her?" Kotori pressed.

Indeed, Sonogami Rinne didn't seem to be the ruthless kind of Spirit. In fact, that's been getting on Kotori's nerves- how could a girl like her be partners with Kurumi?

" _ _How did they even meet?"__

At the question, Rinne didn't immediately respond, and instead cast her gaze downward.

"I know her actions are unforgiveable..." She said in a low voice.

"...But that doesn't mean I will let someone badmouth her without knowing her circumstances."

The Ruler suddenly returned Kotori's gaze with a furious glare, her brown eyes replaced with crimson.

Shocked, Kotori instinctively took a step back. All of a sudden, she could feel pressure- coming from the Spirit.

"You know, it's impressive how easily you defeated Kurumi that day." Rinne praised begrudgingly.

Ruler frowned as her eyes glowed brightly. "I suppose that explains your confidence to come here by yourself. But, if you measure my strength by comparing it to Kurumi's, you are in for a world of pain, Itsuka... Kotori."

Kotori could feel chills ran down her spine. Rinne suddenly felt like a different person.

The Ruler was pissed. Kotori could tell that much.

"I..." Kotori uttered, nearly frozen in terror.

"Ara, why don't you stop right there?"

Jumping at the unexpected voice, Kotori's heart skipped a beat- the familiar voice came from right behind her.

As she turned around, she found a pair of mismatched eyes inches away from her own.

It was the Spirit with the black and orange Astral Dress- the Nightmare Spirit.

"Tokisaki Kurumi!?" Kotori nearly yelled.

Kotori was shocked. She didn't even register to her presence. __"How long has she been there!?"__

The redhead was about to get away from the Nightmare Spirit but Kurumi suddenly grabbed Kotori's chin with both of her hands, pulling her closer.

"Greetings, Spirit of Fire." Kurumi said cheekily, her breath felt on Kotori's face.

"You bastard- what are you doing!?" Disgusted, Kotori pushed Kurumi's hands off and backed off her a few steps.

"Ara ara, such a rude welcome." The Nightmare grinned.

The Ruler too, didn't seem to expect her to be here. "Kurumi? Why are you here?"

The Nightmare Spirit didn't answer and walked past Kotori, approaching the Ruler.

"I'm watching, you know. Rather than that, I'm more concerned with you. Don't be angry like that, partner." Kurumi said softly.

Then, as if she just realized it, Rinne widened her eyes in surprise.

"Oh!" She snapped out of her temper. "I... I'm sorry..." Ruler's red irises disappeared, replaced with brown ones again.

 _ _"Eh?"__ Kotori raised a brow. __"Is she apologizing?"__

"I... I was annoyed, I didn't mean to take it out on you! I apologize!" Rinne said frantically at Kotori, bowing her head.

Taken aback by her sudden change in behavior, Kotori didn't know what to say.

"I... uh..."

Before Kotori could finish, Kurumi twirled around and faced her, glaring sharply. Kotori felt threatened again.

"I apoogize to cut into your conversation... but may I ask you to stop right here and leave? We need some private time." Kurumi spat.

It was not a request. Rather, from her tone, it was a threat. Kotori frowned at that.

However, with both of them together, Kotori stood little chance- both to continue questioning, or to use force. She had no choice but to back down.

Sighing in defeat, Kotori decided to end it there.

"...I suppose I don't have a choice. I'll take my leave."

The wary commander took steps without glancing away from the duo, until she reached the rooftop door.

"See you later, Itsuka Kotori." Kurumi smirked mockingly.

Rinne didn't say anything- her eyes were not even at Kotori.

Frowning, Kotori closed the door on them.

* * *

Out of their sight, Kotori scoffed. "Tch."

"Damn you, Kurumi _ _..."__

It was not entirely Kurumi's fault, however. Kotori had messed up- she pissed off Rinne just now, so even if she wasn't there, the conversation would have ended badly.

Although, Kotori supposed the conversation was not fruitless. She had learned a few things about them now- things that could help Shido later.

" _ _...I understand now."__

* * *

 **And... that's it! I'm sorry to end this like that, and if the quality is somewhat lower (I feel it, at least) than the last chapter. Haven't been practicing for two months... damn it.**

 **I can't express how guilty I feel for leaving this fic alone for that long. I was adapting to my new college- and haven't got time to rework my schedule.**

 **But that ends this week- now, please just remind me with a message if I'm taking too long. Seriously, if there isn't an update in more than three weeks, chew me or something.**

 **I need to be professional. That's why I am practicing my writing skills with fan fiction. This fic in particular, trains my skill to create slice-of-life scenarios within a supernatural setting, setting up a Reincarnation Romance, and picturing a true friendship- important skills. So I have to practice them -and update this fic- more often.**

 **In exchange for my long hiatus, I will probably give you a gift: the plan for this story. I said it in my profile that Mayuri, Marina and Maria are gonna appear in this story. I'm telling you... expect Mayuri to appear soon. As in, really soon.**

 **Thank you for following the updates of Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	11. Interluding Date, Part I

**A/N: Salutations! It's been about a month since the teaser.**

 **I won't waste any time with apologizing for my lateness. Vacation gone wrong or not, it's my fault for being so late. I will make up for it by writing harder. This is my (late) Chirstmas and New Year present for you: chapter 11, "Interluding Date, Part I"**

* * *

"I messed up…"

The Ruler whispered while averting her gaze, unable to face her partner.

She couldn't stop her feet from shifting nervously, partly because of embarrassment and partially out of guilt. Kurumi didn't even face her, the gothic girl was staring down the school's yard from the rooftop's fence.

She knew that this Kurumi was just a temporal clone of the original. The real Nightmare Spirit was preparing for the second phase of their plan. However still, clone or not, Kurumi had right to be angry.

The conversation with Itsuka Kotori just now was a mess. The Ruler didn't expect the Spirit of Fire to actually cause her genuine anger. Or rather, Rinne overestimated her own ability to stay calm.

Threatening Kotori was never a good idea. Not only the ensuing fight with her could hurt Rinne herself and the Itsuka sister, it could also hurt the students there, not to mention obliterate the school. All of which would cause Shido to lose his trust on her, and ruin the date before it even started.

" _It's intolerable, especially for her…"_

"Do you think so?"

The pink-haired girl widened her eyes as she heard a soft, gentle voice instead of the expected fury. She looked up to her partner, just in time to see her turning around.

"I think what you did was quite adorable."

As their eyes met, Kurumi smiled at her, one that was full of warmth and appreciation.

Dumfounded and not knowing what caused her to do so, Rinne only stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"It was rash, I have to say." Kurumi chuckled.

"But I can't reject your actions, considering for whom you did it for."

Rinne sunk into a contemplative silence at her words. 'For whom you did it for'? Did that mean Kurumi appreciate it? Her impulsive and not-very-well-thought actions?

" _No way… Kurumi never accept mistakes…"_

"Kurumi, you-" Rinne was cut off.

"I know this doesn't sound like me, but I am quite… pleased that you defended me the way you did."

Kurumi paused for a moment, looking away as if she was trying to find the right words. After a moment, she continued.

"Only you and Shido-san would ever do that for me. And unlike him, nothing stops me from thanking you."

Realizing the implication, the Ruler Spirit was suddenly at a loss of words.

"Eh, um, I…"

Being appreciated so openly, Rinne couldn't help but feel embarrassed at Kurumi's words. However, the lyre player knew that, those words- didn't fit her partner.

Sonogami Rinne had known Tokisaki Kurumi for nearly five years. The Ruler had known the Nightmare inside-out. Therefore, she could tell what the goth girl would have responded.

However, as if Kurumi just read her mind, she spoke again.

"Ara, do you find me acting differently from usual?"

As she said that, Rinne nearly gasped in surprise. Not only she was correct, Kurumi basically admitted that she **was** acting strange.

"Hihihi, it seemed that when it comes to me, you are very perceptive. However…"

Kurumi put a hand on her chest, closing her eyes.

"I see that you don't remember me?"

Rinne narrowed her eyes at the clone. Kurumi's temporal clones were all her previous selves, who came to life after being given some of the original's time supply, or in other words, lifespan. Therefore, they should behave like her.

However, **this** Kurumi didn't take Rinne's actions as stupid, something the real deal would never do. That either meant that this clone either came from a distant memory before Kurumi became the way she was now, or-

A realization struck Rinne.

"Could it be… you were the one-"

For some reason, Kurumi seemed to already know what she was about to say.

"Yes. I was the one who was killed by [Herself]. That day, right here."

"Wh-what? That one…"

Rinne noticed that this 'Kurumi' didn't use confusing words such as [Me] to describe the original Kurumi. She used [Her].

Then this was her- the 'Kurumi' who wished to accept Shido's hand. This was the one who, in Kurumi's own words, were swayed by his hollow declaration.

As she recalled it, Rinne did **not** like it when Kurumi invaded Shido's school half a year ago, in June last year. Her murder of civilians were uncalled for, her methods to evade Takamiya Mana were ruthless, and her cruelty to Shido was simply **evil**.

However, Rinne was honestly cheering when Shido was so close to saving her- no, that was wrong. He merely convinced a clone. In a sense, it was 'Kurumi' but it was not the real Kurumi.

And then, the 'Kurumi' who wanted to be saved was killed. Like any other clone, just like that.

The Ruler Spirit couldn't hide her disappointment at that. Even though Kurumi's own safety was endangered by Kotori afterwards and she had to intervene to save her partner, Rinne didn't forget that 'Kurumi' who changed, and died.

'Kurumi' did appear again in the Tanabata Festival a month after, by some miracle. Rinne was happy seeing her return, but unfortunately, she didn't last long. The real Kurumi tracked her down, and killed her again. At that point, Rinne almost wished history wouldn't repeat.

But it seemed that, the wish on that tree was granted. However, she was curious.

"How do you come back?" Rinne asked.

" _After all, Kurumi certainly knew which of her memories she would use as a clone."_

At that, 'Kurumi' smiled.

"It seemed that my original made a mistake of accidentally recreating me after helping Shido-san and that idol during the Tenou Festival. [She] was in a hurry to replenish [Her] numbers and strength since [She] had attracted the DEM's attention."

As Rinne listened, she supposed that was reasonable. Indeed, Kurumi was quite anxious, she even considered calling Rinne here in case DEM did hunt her after that. Fortunately, they did not, and thus the Ruler didn't need to come.

" _To think that it would actually lead to this…"_

"Then that means… you have been around for five months, since September?" Rinne asked.

"Yes." The clone replied.

The Ruler was amazed. Like before, her survival -her existence- was nothing but a miracle.

Despite being clones of Kurumi, a powerful Spirit in her own right, temporal clones are very weak in comparison to the original. And, considering Kurumi's ruthless use of 'Herselves'… the possibility of survival got even lower.

" _But there she is."_

'Kurumi of that day' lived. The one whose heart had softened, was right here.

Somehow, it made Rinne happy. Somehow, her existence was proof that Kurumi could be saved.

Even though the Kurumi she knew and the 'Kurumi' who stood before her were different, somehow-

" _I feel… I can still do something for her."_

"I'm glad."

"Eh?"

"I'm happy that my friend can still be saved." Rinne said with a cheerful smile.

'Kurumi' widened her eyes at her words. "Wh-what are you talking about? I am just a-"

"Your existence is proof that the possibility exists. So, I am grateful. Thank you for existing, Kurumi."

That silenced her. Then, as if she was overheating, her cheeks became red. The Nightmare Spirit's expression became one of panic as the Ruler giggled. In embarrassment, 'Kurumi' turned around, and tried to inhale deeply to calm down.

"Hihihi. I made you blush." Rinne smiled.

"..."

The goth girl didn't reply. Rinne waited patiently at that- after all, she was the one who made her like that.

However, what came after was completely unexpected.

"Ara, it seemed that I successfully managed to cheer you up. 'Mission: Dropping Happiness for Ruler' is successfully completed!"

"Huh?"

All of a sudden, 'Kurumi' twirled around, giggled lightly and raised a fist into the air. Rinne was surprised, more to what she just said than what she was doing.

Rinne knew that the twin-tailed girl used to be overly imaginative with her words and behavior. And she also knew that Kurumi had stopped her habits long ago, thus this clone should be the same.

But judging from what she was seeing and hearing, it seemed that Rinne was wrong.

"Um, didn't you say you would drop that 'embarrassing' persona?"

'Kurumi' only smiled in response.

"And what part of it is embarassing, eh, Ruler?"

"Uh… you said everything."

"Which me are you referring to?"

"Eh? But you didn't exist until-"

"In this whole world, there is but one Empress of Time, and that is myself. And she is proud of what she is."

This 'Kurumi' smirked as she declared a technically correct argument flavored with what Rinne knew as hamminess. The Ruler meanwhile, gaped her mouth, processing the familiar lines that would certainly humiliate the real Kurumi.

After a moment of recognition, the pink-haired girl couldn't help but burst out in laughter.

"Pfft- Ha ha ha!"

"Haa?"

It was the Nightmare's turn to be dumbfounded. It seemed that she didn't expect the reaction.

"Hihihihi… Ha ha ha ha!"

The Ruler tried to stifle her laughing. She didn't intend to laugh at the ridiculous lines, it was just that it was so unexpected that she didn't know how to react.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stop herself. She was already shedding a tear from her hysterical laugh.

"H-hey! I had been praciticing that line for 2 months! You can't just laugh… like that…"

'Kurumi' made a pouting face, clearly offended and embarrassed. However, that only served to make Rinne laugh harder.

"Ku- Kurumi… just stop…"

Finally able to stop herself a few moments after, Rinne cleaned the tears on her eyes as she tried to return to the conversation.

'Kurumi' wasn't amused.

"Is that your thanks for me? That's rude."

"Sorry, but I can't help it. I mean, you always gave me that scary look whenever I tried to talk about them. And suddenly you-"

"I know, I know." The goth girl crossed her arms and pouted. "I sound ridiculous, right?"

"I never said that." The musician smiled and shook her head in rejection. "I just like it better when you are being honest."

The Nightmare Spirit took a peek at the Ruler with her red eye. It was clear she was not convinced.

"You are just saying that to make me feel better."

"Have I ever lied, Kurumi?"

At the direct question, the pouting girl faltered. "Well… no."

"Why the change though? I thought you disliked it." She changed the subject to satiate her curiousity. "What happened since June?"

'Kurumi' paused at the question, before smirking.

"Shido-san had said that she liked me better with that eyepatch back during the time travel, did he? Then I see no reason for me to discard what Shido liked about me."

Rinne widened her eyes at the statement.

 _"_ _Oh… right."_ The Ruler quickly understood.

This was the 'Kurumi' who wished Shido to save her. Of course, this was the one who was also attracted to him.

The Ruler smiled.

"Then you are also a rival for me, eh?" Rinne asked cheekily.

"How could I? For Shido-san, I'm already dead." Kurumi chuckled.

"But you **are** alive, aren't you?"

"But right now, I only want to help you, partner."

Rinne raised a brow. "Hm? Help me?"

"Yes," Kurumi nodded, "help you with the date you are having."

"I have been spying on you and [Her] since you arrived in this city yesterday. And I must say, you and my original are very smart with the plan last night. However, I want to make a few changes." She elaborated.

Rinne became silent. This was the first time one of Kurumi's clones ever tried to contribute to the planning. There was no reason to refuse.

"Very well, let's hear what do you want to add."

* * *

"Huh…"

Already out of the Raizen High, Itsuka Kotori scoffed in displeasure as she walked away from the school.

" _I need to make some changes in the dating plan according to the new information…"_

Sonogami Rinne's personal data had become one of Ratatoskr's top priotities since her appearance yesterday. It would be useful in many ways: to find clues about both Tokisaki Kurumi and [Phantom], by virtue of being the former's partner and had her appearance used by the latter. Not to mention, it would help Shido conquer her.

That's why Kotori had risked going by herself for a chance to interrogate her. She had even mentally noted all the important points.

1\. Sonogami Rinne was reborn as a Spirit in 3rd of August, in the same day as herself. Just like most other non-recent Spirits, she lost her memories.

2\. The amnesiac Spirit met Tokisaki Kurumi sometime after her birth, and the Nightmare recovered the lost memories with her time-based ability. It could be inferred that they became partners some time after this meeting, although Kurumi's motive for doing so is unknown.

3\. It's unknown how the pair operate together since Nightmare is well-known by JGSDF, Ratatoskr and DEM, while there isn't a single record about Ruler. Rinne implies that her Angel has something to do with it, meaning that whatever power she possesses, it can only help to hide herself.

4\. Ruler appears to be much less malevolent and more stable than Nightmare. The stalking mission yesterday suggested Rinne has a functioning moral compass, and during the interrogation just now she willingly discloses information as much as she can, while also being patient enough not to consider attacking Kotori until provoked.

5\. Rinne seems to be genuinely fond of, fiercely protective, and loyal to Kurumi. Although her higher moral standards should put her at odds with the murderer, they seem to put it aside whenever they are together. The fondness seems mutual, as Kurumi appears to care for her well-being and opinion, at the very least.

6\. Kurumi needs a large amount of Spirit powers for something. Although this means Shido's life is not her target, it's possible that Kurumi has an end-goal with grand, large scale effects. With her ability to manipulate time and physically travel through timelines, this may or may not be disastrous.

The validity and details of some of these points were not foolproof, but Kotori believed most, if not all of them to be true. Their behavior and actions were too natural to be faked, and she couldn't imagine of any other possibilities.

" _Huh… if only I didn't mess up just now, surely I can gather more info."_

But now she had no time to dwell in it. All Kotori needed to do now, was to think how these information could help Shido later.

As the redheaded commander made a left turn to the direction of the Itsuka household, she pondered the dating plan once more.

From each of these points, the one which mattered to Shido the most was Rinne's connection to Kurumi. Seeing her violent reaction when Nightmare Spirit was insulted, Shido had to avoid them at all costs.

" _But conversely, Shido could appeal to her with that usual stubborness of his… especially if she secretly wishes Kurumi to be saved, as well."_

Another important point was Rinne's patience and stability. Factoring that in, Shido could get away with many choices that would have ruined most dates, although Kotori had to admit that usually, crazier options that made no sense somehow were the most effective.

" _I think I can even say that Shido wouldn't need the choices this time."_

The final, circumstantial point was that Rinne seemed to enjoy the same things as Honjou Nia: anime festival. The Ruler might not be an otaku, but she at least liked it enough for it to matter.

" _We are very lucky that the anime festival haven't ended."_

The festival lasted for three days, beginning two days ago. So today would be the closing day of the festival. Since most of the events began in the evening, it was actually a good idea for Rinne to promise the next date after school.

"...I had a bad feeling about this."

It was an unfounded statement. Everything was going quite well, in fact. Information, circumstances, setting, and preparation. All of them were going as expected, if not better.

" _Then, why?"_

Kotori frowned. Something didn't feel right. Usually, she always disregarded her gut feeling and focused more on what's in front of her, but this time-

"Kotori?"

"Eh?"

Hearing her name being called, Kotori who was deep in thought was suddenly brought back to reality, and her attention was directed to the voice in front of her.

It was her brother, standing a few meters ahead of her.

"Shido? Why are you here?" Kotori uttered.

"Why am I here?" Shido raised a brow. "I've been looking for you!"

Hearing such concern, Kotori felt embarrassed. "L-looking for me? Why do you do such a thing?"

"Isn't it obvious? You left the base without telling everyone where were you going! We were all worried."

"Eh? How do you know that?"

"Reine-san told me. She also uses the Fraxinus' sensor to find your location."

"Reine told you I was going by myself? …Damn, even though I bribed her with milk creams!"

Kotori had spent some of her money to buy Reine some milk cream puffs in order to keep her from telling Shido her 'business'. After all, the sleepy researcher could only be bribed with sweets. Unfortunately for her this time, it didn't seem to work.

Shido didn't seem to pay attention to that piece of information, however.

"Why would you keep it from the others? What were you doing?" Shido narrowed his eyes at her.

The redhead became silent at the question. Should Kotori tell him about what she just did? Even with her Angel, it was foolish to simply meet Rinne directly like she did. The only reason Kotori didn't get hurt at all was because of Kurumi's intervention.

Basically, Kotori just did the exact same thing as Shido did yesterday evening, 'charging foolishly into the enemy'. It was the very same thing Kotori berated Shido for. Even though she apologized for it, it was hypocritical for her to do such things.

Shido would be… her Oni-chan would be…

" _No… I am not going to hide anything from him."_

"Shido, I-"

UUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuu-

"...!?"

Kotori's confession was cut short as the loud, unpleasant alarm echoed through the streets. Of course, the Itsuka siblings knew what that meant.

"Spacequake alert!?"

"Kuh, now, of all times?!"

Shido nearly shouted in surprise, clearly not expecting any spacequake. Kotori didn't expect one as well, but at this point she had just grown used to them.

" _Is it a new Spirit? Or one of those two decides to summon a Spacequake?"_ Kotori thought.

As if to answer her, her phone in the left pocket of her skirt vibrated. Knowing it would be a call from Reine, Kotori quickly answered the call. Shido became silent, paying attention to the conversation.

"Hello? Is this Reine?" Kotori said.

"Yes, it is me. I assume you have met Shin?" A sleepy voice was heard through the phone.

"Why you! I promised you milk cream!" Kotori growled in irritation.

"I'm sorry, but I must have forgotten your offer." Reine replied calmly.

" _This analyst… I need to have some serious talk with her after this…"_ Kotori mentally noted.

"Well, enough about that. More importantly, what causes this spacequake? Is it a Spirit we already know or a new one?"

"The readings indicate that the spacequake is identical with the one summoned by Tokisaki Kurumi previously."

Kotori rolled her eyes. What was she up to, this time around? She had no way to tell whether this spacequake was summoned by the real Kurumi or just one of her clones, but this must be part of their plan.

"Where the spacequake will appear?" The commander asked further.

There was a pause. "I believe the location is close to where you two are. It's on Raizen High."

Kotori scoffed. _"So after getting me away, she decided to immediately start something."_

"Understood." Kotori directed her gaze at Shido. "Well then, Shido, we will talk later. Go to her, you brought your communicator with you, right?"

Kotori trusted she didn't need to say anything more to her brother to understand.

It was clear that this spacequake was intended to draw the Ratatoskr's attention. Otherwise, Kurumi would not have no reason to summon it on Raizen High.

Although Kotori still couldn't trust Rinne, so long as she was around it was unlikely for Kurumi to harm anyone, Shido included. That meant the spacequake was summoned for another reason.

Whatever the reason was, since the AST specialized in outdoor fights and the DEM had been less active since the incident with Nia, Shido could reach Kurumi before any of them did. Conflicts could be avoided, meaning overall Shido was relatively safe.

And anyway, the [Irregular] -Rio- couldn't possibly allow anyone and anything harm her 'father'. This would also be the best time to test the limits of the little Spirit's power.

Then, it was best to send Shido to accept Kurumi's invitation.

"I understand." Shido nodded. "Later then, Kotori, I'll be going!"

"Be careful, Oni-chan."

As Shido ran past her, Kotori too ran toward the Ratatoskr's base.

* * *

"Do you hear me, Shin?"

"Loud and clear, Reine-san!"

Testing the functionality of the communicator in his right ear again, Shido and Reine exchanged the sentences as the blue-haired boy ran as fast as he could to reach Raizen High.

"Be careful. Although Tokisaki Kurumi seems to invite you, we couldn't eliminate the possibility of AST or DEM reaching Kurumi's location faster somehow." Reine warned.

"Understood!" Shido replied.

As his legs continued to carry him forward, Shido's thoughts were in disarray.

" _What are you up to, Kurumi?"_

Shido couldn't help but ask that question in his head.

He didn't understand. What was Kurumi doing? According to Rinne, they would meet for the date after school. If the Nightmare Spirit were to cause a scene, even now in the morning before class started, AST or DEM intervention could interrupt the date.

No matter how, he couldn't comprehend the logic behind her current course of action.

" _Ahhh! It would be better if I just asked her directly."_

Focusing his attention ahead, Shido decided to try and use his Spirit powers to reach the school faster.

" _Rio, may I borrow your strength?"_ Shido asked.

" _Of course, Papa!"_ Rio replied cheerfully.

Then, his body suddenly felt a surge of heat, as tremendous power flowed in. Without realizing, his pupil whitened.

All of a sudden, his body was released from the shackles of gravity.

Shido recalled the familiar feeling as he defied the laws of the world around him for the first time. So his assumption about Rio being able to control his powers was right. So long as she was around, he could channel his powers to an extent.

"Thank you, Rio. Are you fine? Do you feel anything discomforting?"

" _Papa's always welcome! And Rio is fine with Papa's strength!"_

And with that, Shido smiled as he kicked the air, and flew toward the school at high speed. Knowing that most of the people around should be within shelters by now, and neither the AST or DEM could respond quick enough to catch sight of him.

With that, Shido decided to enjoy the feeling of high-speed flight to the fullest.

Although Shido was sure that Reine noticed that Shido liberally used his powers, the sleepy analyst didn't comment. It seemed she didn't mind.

" _Ah, there it is!"_ Rio commented.

As Raizen High was now visible in sight, Shido was able to spot someone, waiting on the center of the front Raizen High building's rooftop.

It was a girl clad in black-and-orange dress. She had assymetrical twin-tails, and mismatched eyes.

"Tokisaki… Kurumi!" Shido shouted.

"Ara." Kurumi said, turning to him.

Within seconds, Shido was able to reach the school's rooftop and got a clear view of the Spirit who seemed to be waiting for him. He then slowed his speed, and gently floated down to the floor.

At this sight, the Spirit in front of him seemed to be impressed..

"Ara ara, Shido-san. Your ability to control your Spirit power is splendid." Kurumi said, giggling.

"Ah, thank you, but this is not my doing. Rather than that, what are you doing here, Kurumi?" Shido asked, wary of the Spirit.

Shido's not-so-friendly tone was met with a cheerful smile. The gothic girl then stretched both of her arms to the side.

"Hihihi. I am not my partner, surely you didn't expect me to seek your attention with an elegant musical performance that only Spirits can hear?"

"So you really do summon a spacequake just to call me here… you are unbelievable, Kurumi."

The Nightmare Spirit merely chuckled. Shido let out a tired sigh at that, however, he knew didn't have much time before either AST or DEM arrived to the scene.

"So, why do you call me here?" Shido asked once more.

Kurumi's lips curved into a smile. "Always straight to the point, I suppose. You never change."

"Not at all, since the last time we met."

Shido raised a brow at the way she spoke. Kurumi didn't need to emphasize that point like that.

"What do you mean?" Shido asked again, confused.

"Exactly what I say. By the way, how have you been, Shido-san? Has time been nice for you? Or has it been cruel?" Kurumi's smile became brighter.

Shido paused. He felt like he had heard sentences like those before, somewhere. However, he couldn't recall when, or where.

"That's… Kurumi, don't you already know?"

"Hihihi, I only know things that have been happening to you, Shido-san. I don't know how you feel about it. Did you make good memories since we last met?"

The blue-haired boy became silent, this time. Those words… it was familiar. It didn't give him a strange, alien feeling like Rinne's did, but somehow he felt like he had heard them before.

Seeing his silence, Kurumi's smile disappeared, and in its place was a slight frown.

"Shido-san, do you have such a bad memory? Although we haven't been meeting in secret, I have never forgotten about you, you know."

"Eh?"

Shido widened his eyes in surprise. Those words… now he remembered.

" _No way… impossible! Could this Kurumi be… no way, she was_ _ **killed**_ _!"_

Recalling the 'Kurumi of that day' in last year's Tanabata, Shido shook his head in denial. There was no way the Kurumi standing in front of him was her.

The man with Spirit powers took a glance at the gothic girl in front of him. _"But I have no way of knowing… she looked the same."_

At his stare, Kurumi smiled once more. "Do you begin to remember?"

"No… there is no way…" Shido said, weakly.

The girl's smile turned into an amused smirk this time. "Ara, are you acting cold towards me because I am not wearing the underwear you specifically chose for me today?"

Shido gasped. "What!?"

The boy reevaluated his thoughts quickly. Now that he remembered it, that 'Kurumi' **was** killed before, right here, in this place. But she reappeared again in the Tanabata, somehow. Even the real Kurumi said it was like 'an act of God'

 _Could it be… could it be the miracle that day repeated once more?"_

As he was too shocked to say anything, Kurumi closed her eyes as she raised her right hand in front of herself, and gently closed her palm.

"Look at this, Shido-san."

She opened her palm, and on it, an orange paper. On it was written something, which Shido couldn't read due to the distance. However, he didn't need to read it to know what was it.

Kurumi's smile became very warm.

"It seems that my wish was granted."

* * *

 **And… that was it! Sorry for the wait, I hope the length and the quality makes up for it!**

 **I am in my vacation month. I** _ **should**_ **be able to finish this earlier. Yet, due to some unforeseeable circumstances and my vacation had gone horribly wrong (although not dangerously so and I _did_ have fun, it was horrible from hindsight). Still, I am not pulling an excuse. I am not going to stoop that low.**

 **Time to catch up. I will at least finish the Interluding Date Part II and III chapters in three weeks, or else I cannot ease the guilt in my conscience.**

 **Sorry, no Mayuri yet~ I did promise she will appear soon, though. And I'm not taking back my promises.**

 **Thank you for following the development of Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	12. Interluding Date, Part II

**A/N: Hello again! It's been three weeks. Let's catch up with** **"** **Alternate Reincarnation** **"** **, shall we?**

 **Here is chapter 12, "Interluding Date, Part II" for all of you!**

* * *

The snow that filled the sky minutes before had stopped falling.

"Is that… your Tanzaku?"

Shido blinked. He couldn't believe that the wish paper for Tanabata, the one he had hanged on that tree half a year ago was still around, let alone intact in the hands of the Spirit who wrote it.

More than that, that Tanzaku was probably the ultimate proof that this was 'Kurumi of that day', who was now before him. The real Kurumi would probably tore it to pieces instead of keeping it if she ever found it.

 _"How did this happen, though?"_

Shido really didn't have a clue. Like that time, when 'Kurumi' just appeared, and asked him to go for a date with him. It really was out of the blue, and now was no different.

However, Shido didn't care at this point. All he knew was, he was glad. 'Kurumi' hadn't died that day. For him, that was a blessing in and of itself.

"Hihihi, correct." 'Kurumi' smiled, before closing her palm once more and the Tanzaku disappeared.

"Do you doubt me now, Shido-san?" She asked once more.

Shido shook his head.

"How could I? Kurumi... I'm glad I can see you again." He said earnestly.

The twin-tailed girl giggled happily at that. "Ahh, Shido-san… you really know how to make a lady wait."

Shido merely chuckled in return, and took a deep breath, trying to calm the Spirit mana around him. Without him noticing, the whitened pupil he had disappeared.

"Did I make you wait too long, Kurumi?" He asked with a smile.

"No," she shook her head gently. "you didn't."

And with that said, the girl ran toward him. Shido only closed his eyes, knowing that Kurumi was the type who didn't have a sense of personal space didn't even bother him at this point.

As soon as her hands could reach him, she cupped his face and pulled him closer. The blue-haired boy didn't resist, and let the goth girl did what she wanted.

"I really miss you, Shido-san…" She whispered as their eyes met, her breath felt on his lips.

"Kurumi…" He blushed slightly.

For a moment, the two didn't say anything. Shido didn't bother to say anything. They didn't need to. Their eyes had said more than enough.

Shido could see it. Her desire, her longing desire for him. Her fear, her fear of dying before she could meet him. Her gratitude, for being able to see her wish fulfilled. Her happiness, for being able to finally hold him again.

 _"I wonder what does she see in m_ _y eyes_ _?"_

Although wondering, Shido didn't bother asking. That was for her to know. For him, this was already enough.

'Kurumi' smiled, and let him go.

"Hihihi…" The goth girl chuckled.

"Eh?" Shido uttered, dumbfounded.

"Shido-san… it's too quick to expect me to reward you with such a gift, isn't it?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know… k-i-s-s." 'Kurumi' whispered to his ear.

"Ehhh!?" Shido was taken aback. "N-no! I wasn't expecting to be kissed, what are you talking about!?"

He unconsciously took a step back. The twin-tailed girl chuckled at that, before she twirled around three times to widen their distance, stopping as Kurumi faced Shido once more.

"Ara, look at what we have here…"

'Kurumi' stomped her foot, and that instant an ancient pistol appeared from her shadow. Before Shido could react, she grabbed the gun with her right hand and immediately fired it to her right without even glancing.

Shido only managed to gasp at her quick movements, before he turned to see what did she just shoot.

It was a familiar machinery sitting near the edge of the rooftop. It had a slender body made of metal, with large arms and legs facing backwards. [Bandersnatch], as Kotori called it.

It had lost its head, though, courtesy of 'Kurumi'.

"That thing…" Shido uttered.

"A lone unit… just a scout, eh? They are faster than I thought." 'Kurumi' commented.

At those words, Shido was reminded of the situation he was in. AST and DEM were coming to the location of the predicted Spacequake.

"Kurumi, why do you call me here?"

"Ara, I forgot about that. Wait a moment, Shido-san, let me stop the incoming Spacequake first."

'Kurumi' snapped her fingers, as if that was necessary to stop the Spacequake from appearing. Shido immediately contacted Reine to confirm the Spacequake's disappearance.

"Reine-san, how is it?"

"Don't worry, the signal has disappeared."

"I see." Shido turned to the goth girl in front of him. "Thank you, Kurumi."

"Hihi, don't mention it. Now then, allow me to inform you why do I need you here, Shido-san."

The girl then summoned a musket from her shadow and caught it on her right hand, before she continued.

"But before that, enlighten me, is your sister listening to our conversation now?"

"Huh? No, Kotori is probably on her way back to the Ratatoskr base. Why? Do you have some business with her?"

"What I'm about to ask you is not something you can decide for yourself." 'Kurumi' noted. "While we wait, I suggest we should leave this school before the AST and DEM arrive."

Shido became slightly curious at her intentions, but he nodded regardless. No matter what, they should avoid combat anywhere near civilian shelters. AST would avoid that, but the DEM wouldn't.

"Very well, let's go."

Channeling his Spirit powers once more, the two of them flew away from the Raizen High School grounds.

* * *

Somewhere in one of Tenguu City's tallest buildings, an assembly of darkness was held.

There were probably hundreds of girls with identical appearances- clad in blood red and shadow black dresses, tied their hair with uneven twin-tails, and all of them had a mechanical clock as their left eyes.

All of them were past selves of Tokisaki Kurumi, the Nightmare Spirit.

The rooftop was spacious, but with such a large number of people, it was quite crowded for them. Regardless, more than a few of the clones engaged in chattering about trivial things, such as what happened in their observation mission.

Looking down on the large number of [Herselves] below, the real Kurumi sat on a water tank as she waited for more to come. Some of them were late for the gathering.

 _"Hum… to think that some of Mes lack discipline…"_

Kurumi was about to hold a meeting for the second phase of the plan. That phase would involve combat, meaning she needed to prepare a large amount of 'time'.

The purpose of this meeting was to redistribute the numbers of Herselves on the map. They were originally dispatched to observe the city, but now they would adopt new positions in order to consume as much lifeforce as possible from the citizens.

 _"For that purpose, they should be fairly distant from each other so that their [Cities of Devouring Time] don't overlap."_

Although they would definitely attract the attention of AST and DEM, Kurumi had already calculated that, even with the annoying [Adeptus] 1 and 2 around, at least half of these clones would return to her by evening, with more than enough power boost for the second phase.

"Hmm…"The Nightmare Spirit observed the crowd of Herselves once more. About three more large groups had arrived to the rooftop, which increased their number by another three hundred.

Kurumi supposed she had waited long enough. _"Very well… I suppose it's time to start the-"_

"…Ara?"

That moment, 'something' happened.

All of sudden, silence befell upon them. The Kurumis who were talking, suddenly stopped.

Some of them looked at each other nervously. Some frowned and turned their sights toward their environment.

After moments of contemplative silence, some of them finally spoke.

"Ara ara?"

"Is this what I am thinking it is?"

"Distortion… it's a Spacequake."

"From the direction of Raizen?"

As the Kurumis discussed the unexpected event, the real Kurumi growled in displeasure as she stood up and turned her gaze to the general direction of the school.

These clones could detect Spacequakes, but the Spirit knew her temporal selves simply didn't have enough power to identify who summoned it.

 _"This signature… it's one of Mes."_

Knowing this, the Nightmare sighed and palmed her face.

 _"How could this happen? This was not part of the plan. "_

Kurumi didn't order any of her duplicates to summon a Spacequake. If anything, summoning a Spacequake in Raizen High was something to be avoided, as it would simply interfere with Shido's school and Rinne's part for phase one.

And yet, one of her clones just did. She had always known that each of her past selves had independent minds but it was very, very rare for them to rebel. But, the improbable had happened, and Kurumi didn't anticipate it at all.

"To think a rogue will choose this time to ruin my… no, **our** day." Her crimson eye glowed brightly, as her tone became murderous.

Some of her clones were visibly unnerved by her, but Kurumi didn't pay them attention. Now she had to improvise the plan, and the Nightmare Spirit knew how to do just that.

"I suppose I will hunt her down." She decided.

"Hmm, you don't have to go that far, Kurumi."

The goth girl froze in surprise.

Not only because the voice had caught her off guard, but also because Kurumi recognized the voice of the girl who spoke, and that she was right behind her.

 _"_ _When did she get there?_ _"_

"Rinne?" Kurumi finally let out.

As the Nightmare looked behind herself, she found that the Ruler Spirit stood a meter behind her, already clad in her purple and gold Astral Dress and carrying her Angelic lyre [Cassiel] with her left hand.

"Hello." The Ruler waved.

Recovering from her surprise, Kurumi immediately turned around and frowned slightly. Both of them should knew that Rinne was not supposed to be here, so what was she-

"You… what are you doing here?" Kurumi questioned.

The Ruler kept her expression neutral as she presented her lyre toward the goth girl. Kurumi raised an eyebrow at that.

"Do you want me to explain, or just share what I have seen and heard?"

The Nightmare Spirit's expression turned serious. Rinne preferred to talk and report things herself rather than using her ability to share their fates with [Fate Connection].

That meant, what had happened was complicated and significant enough for her to consider using it. That made her curious about what happened. Did Rinne knew about her rogue clone?

 _"_ _Very well then-_ _"_

"The latter." Kurumi pointed at Cassiel. "It's rare for you to offer the experience, so I will take it when I have the chance."

"Hee hee," Rinne chuckled, "I know you will pick that one, really."

"That's true. But, would you please give me an idea as of what to expect?"

"The thing I can say is, you will be surprised. Very, very surprised."

Kurumi mentally prepared herself as she reached her hand out to touch the lyre on Rinne's hand. The Ruler Spirit herself prepared to activate her powers.

"Cassiel! Fate Connection, activate!"

At that moment, their fates intertwined. Their memories, their experiences were shared to each other.

"This is…!" Kurumi widened her eyes.

* * *

"Okay, all set."

Origami muttered to herself just as she finished changing from her pajamas to her school uniform, having finished her bath three minutes ago.

 _"About time to wake the others up…"_

Although she was sure it was going to be difficult to wake those Spirits out of their slumber -especially considering last night- Origami prepared herself for the task. After all, she had volunteered to help Shido this way.

 _"After all, he did ask for my forgiveness like… that."_

Origami was not an expressive girl, but she was not emotionless. And Spirit or not, no female could remain composed if the man she loved embraced and comforted her like that.

That was more than Origami could ever hope to ask, so she decided she had to answer with just as much determination.

"I suppose I'll wake Yamai first…"

Yoshino and Natsumi both didn't go to school, so it should be fine to leave them be. And between Yamai and Yatogami Tohka, it was obvious which one she would wake up first.

 _"After Yamai would be Izayoi Miku… I'll call her after this_ _, in case she has difficulty to wake up on time._ _"_

Just as she walked out of her apartment room, though, she noticed a car just stopped in front of their apartment.

"Hmm?"

As she was pondering who was it, the window next to the driver's seat lowered itself to answer her question.

It was a young girl roughly 14 to 15 years old in appearace, with a familiar blue hair and brown eyes. She had a beauty mark under her left eye, which only served to make her look more adorable.

"Takamiya... Mana?" Origami widened her eyes.

Before Origami could say anything else, Mana called out to her.

"Tobiichi-san! Is that you?"

Not knowing why she was there, Origami replied to the question with a question. "Why are you here?"

"There is a Spacequake! I am sent here to pick you up so we can hide from the Spirit and DEM!" Mana shouted.

Origami narrowed her eyes at the statement. "Spacequake? Is it a new Spirit, or is it [Nightmare] or [Ruler]?"

"I don't know, Murasame-san sent me before they could get a reading. However for now, let's warn the others and leave!"

The white-haired Spirit nodded. "Acknowledged."

* * *

"Sorry, am I late?"

Panting after running for some tens of minutes, Kotori finally reached the control room of the still under-repair Fraxinus. Most of the crew were already there, including Murasame Reine, the traitor.

"Not at all." Reine answered her in her usual tone.

"You…" Kotori threw her a glare as she reached to her pocket for her chupa-chups. "we will have a long talk later, Reine."

"Understood. By the way, Shin and Kurumi have been waiting for you." The analyst gestured to the captain seat.

"Kurumi too, huh…" Kotori frowned.

" _What would she want?"_

The redhead immediately took her seat and cleared her throat as she observed the screen, which received footage from various hidden cameras in the city. It appeared that Shido and Kurumi were inside an empty restaurant, hiding under some circular table.

"What…?" Kotori was perplexed.

" _What are they doing? Trying to avoid detection by sight?"_ The commander thought. That was not going to work… using Realizer they could detect Spirit energy through even the most solid physical barriers.

Deciding to brush it off, she spoke.

"Hey, Shido!"

"Eh?"

As Shido's voice was heard from the Fraxinus' computer, on the screen the blue-haired boy came out from under the table and looked around. After some effort, he finally found the hidden camera from which Kotori was looking, and waved.

"Kotori? Is that you?" Shido asked through the communicator.

"Yeah, sorry to make you wait. What's the situation? Reine said you need me." Kotori questioned in return.

"Ah about that, Kurumi wants to talk to you." Shido turned to the table. "Kurumi, Kotori is online!"

"Finally…" Kurumi's voice too was heard from the computer as she came out from under the table.

Kotori narrowed her eyes at Nightmare's image on the screen, who was staring at the camera's direction in the restaurant. Now that Rinne had told various things about her, Kotori's impression of her had worsened. The commander was more suspicious of her than ever.

"Shido, call me with your phone and give it to her. I need to talk to her directly." Kotori commanded.

"Huh? Okay." Shido drew out his cell-phone, inputted Kotori's number, and dialed before he gave it to the Spirit beside him.

"Here, Kurumi. Kotori wants to speak to you directly."

"Ara, that's convenient."

Kurumi accepted the phone with an exaggerated pose, like an European knight in the middle age accepting a sword during their knighting.

Kotori reached out to her own phone and answered the call immediately, before speaking with a harsh tone. "What do you want, Tokisaki Kurumi?"

"Ara ara, straight to the chase too, I see. Like brother, like sister?" Kurumi spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Kotori could feel her cheeks heat up. "S-shut up! What business do you have with us Ratatoskr!?"

The Nightmare Spirit giggled lightly, much to her annoyance. After a moment though, she cleared her throat before responding.

"Itsuka Kotori… no, Ratatoskr's commander." Kurumi's tone and expression became serious.

"I'd like to strike a deal with you."

Kotori narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Deal, huh? You sound like [Phantom] now."

The Nightmare Spirit smiled deviously. "Am I now? I suppose I do. Putting that aside, my deal is simple."

"My original self and my partner will offer you a Spirit."

The Itsuka siblings were caught completely off guard. Kotori had to consciously stop her candy from falling off her mouth, and even Shido looked visibly baffled onscreen.

" _Offer us a Spirit? That's…"_ Kotori didn't believe her.

"Give us… a Spirit?" Shido uttered.

"You… how will you do that?" Kotori managed to question.

"Ara, it's simple. Right now, the original [Me] and Rinne are about to invade one of DEM's secret branch. All they need to do in order to fill our bargain is to release the Spirit imprisoned there and then offer her to you."

Kurumi stated casually while shrugging, as if achieving all of those would be easy.

"Such a thing…" Shido said, clearly skeptical.

"You don't believe me, Shido-san?"

"No, it's not like I don't want to believe in you, but…"

Kotori didn't say anything. She could relate to Shido, her offer sounded ridiculous, even by her standards.

This was an unexpected development. There was no reason to trust Kurumi's words, but at the same time there was little chance that the Nightmare was bluffing.

No matter what, offering to give a Spirit directly to Ratatoskr was a bold move, and unless she planned to go through with it, Kurumi wouldn't need to go this far to talk with her directly like this. If they were deceitful, tricking Shido would be easier.

As much as Kotori hated the thought, it was true.

 _"Then... what could she possibly want from us in return?"_

The Nightmare would have her demands, for sure. This was a deal, after all. Just like with Phantom.

"And what are your demands, Nightmare?" The commander asked back.

"Hihihi, you are not going to question the validity of my proposal?" Kurumi chuckled and raised a brow, as though she was challenging Kotori.

"For now, I won't ask. State your demands, now." Kotori responded curtly.

"Very well then. My partner and I wish for two favors in return."

The Nightmare Spirit raised a finger, signifying her first demand.

"First, I want your assitance for distracting the enemy forces."

Kotori figured as much. That would be easy to fulfill, and in technical sense it was not even a favor, since Ratatoskr would naturally do anything if it meant securing the Spirits from harm. Even joining forces with untrustworthy Spirits like Kurumi.

The commander also knew that, if that was her first condition, her second condition would be something significantly more costly.

"Secondly…" Kurumi raised another finger.

"My partner and I would request to meet up with every Spirit under the Ratatoskr's custody, in a time and place we will decide."

Neither Kotori nor Shido was expecting that kind of request.

"What!?" Kotori shouted in surprise.

"With everyone?!" Shido raised his tone, clearly alarmed.

As Kotori was processing Kurumi's requests, Shido calmed himself down and spoke.

"…Kurumi, what are you planning?"

"Ara ara. I can't deny that both my partner and I have an underlying motive for proposing this." The Nightmare Spirit smirked.

"However, I can assure you that we won't bring you any harm. And anyway, if you are all together, can anyone hurt any of you and get away with it?"

Kotori frowned hard at that last statement. The Nightmare Spirit was powerful, but for everyone together, defeating her was probably not going to be a particularly difficult task.

However, Kurumi was not alone this time around. The Ruler -Sonogami Rinne- was going to participate as well, and she was an unknown factor. Nobody except her partner knew what kind of power she possessed, or how much strength she carried. That meant Kotori couldn't afford to lower their guard.

" _Wait, does it mean-"_

A realization hit Kotori.

If the Ratatoskr was to assist Kurumi and Rinne with their battle, then it would be a great chance to observe the Ruler in battle.

" _I see… they must realize this, as well."_

Kotori highly doubted the Nightmare and Ruler required any actual assistance, but they still went out of their way to let the Ratatoskr observe them.

It would seem that Kurumi wanted to demonstrate her partner's abilities to lower the distrust between the two parties, as well as providing Ratatoskr with a chance to prepare countermeasures for them, so Shido and the others would feel safer to attend the meeting with the two of them.

 _"Humph. Well-played, Kurumi."_

Most likely, this deal was their effort to lower the tension between Ratatoskr and themselves. That explained why Kurumi had to intervene during Kotori's talk with Rinne at that school rooftop almost an hour ago.

 _"So they really want to establish connections with us…"_

This was not Kurumi's usual modus operandi. It seemed that Rinne had quite the influence on her partner when she was around.

However, it was too soon to be relieved. Kotori still didn't know what they were after, especially with the meeting they requested.

"If we refuse… what would you do with the Spirit you will release?" Kotori questioned.

The goth girl frowned slightly. "If you refuse, then you don't need to know what we will do to her."

"Kurumi! How could you say that?" Shido interjected.

Kotori smiled. He would not stay still at the possibility of a Spirit getting hurt, all right.

"Don't worry, Shido-san. Your sister knows what's best for Ratatoskr, and for the Spirits they are aiming to secure."

The Nightmare Spirit grinned widely, almost as if she was mocking them. However, the redhead was not provoked this time around.

"So, how is it, Ratatoskr? Do we have a deal? Or perhaps, our demands are too much for you to accept?" Kurumi asked.

Kotori bit her lip. This was a huge gamble. If she accepted, Ratatoskr would be able to save a Spirit from the clutches of DEM and gain information about Ruler, but Shido and the other Spirits would have to take a huge risk by meeting Nightmare and Ruler directly, under their desired circumstances.

But if Kotori refused- Kurumi and Rinne would probably gain another ally with completely unknown abilities, and the Ratatoskr would lose a chance to observe Ruler's powers at all. And if Rinne decided being semi-negotiating didn't work, they would try again with more extreme methods, which would endanger Shido anyway. They didn't have unlimited patience.

" _In this kind of situation…"_

"Kotori."

Hearing her name being called, Kotori snapped out from her thoughts. It was Shido who spoke her name.

As Kotori turned her attention to the image of her brother on the screen, the first thing she noticed was his expression.

It was colored by pure, unwavering determination.

All directed, toward her.

"Ah…"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Kotori closed her eyes and once again tried to make her decision, harder this time.

" _From Shido's point of view…"_

From her brother's point of view, he would…

"...Very well, Kurumi. We accept your deal."

As she opened her eyes, Kotori noticed that both people on the screen smiled widely at her choice, albeit with completely different reasons.

* * *

"Hihihi…"

"See? Your past self succeeded, Kurumi."

Rinne smiled at the sight of the giggling Kurumi.

The Ruler had shared her memories in the past hour, mostly about the conversation with 'Kurumi of that day', including the clone's proposed change of plans, and what Rinne thought about the whole thing.

Now both of them were sitting next to each other on the water tank on the rooftop of the skyscraper, still connecting to each other by holding Cassiel on Rinne's left hand. All the other Kurumis who were there before had either returned to their observation mission, or Kurumi's own shadow.

However, the two of them were not just sharing memories this time. Rinne had activated [Web of Causality] in conjunction with Fate Connection to allow Kurumi to read what the [Strings of Fate] were showing them.

They had just witnessed the success of their new plans, courtesy of 'Kurumi'.

"Seriously… whichever it is, all Kurumis are very good at thinking on the fly." Rinne commented.

"Humph. I have to admit it, I think the Me of that time is too naive. But it seemed that even the naive had their ways too." Kurumi complimented.

The plan made by the original Kurumi last night was divided into three phases, which would made full use of everything they had. The changes made by 'the other Kurumi' though, mainly modified the first two.

The original first phase was the first date with Shido. While Kurumi was gathering as much Spirit mana as possible for the second phase, Rinne would work to build up trust with Shido. Although her partner insisted that she should call it 'enjoying herself'.

The second phase, would be invading DEM after the date with Shido was over. Since directly using Zafkiel's Yod or Cassiel's Fate Connection on Shido carried high risk of Inversion, then they simply need to eliminate the possibility.

One way to do so was to use Realizers that the DEM used to brainwash their officers. Using that, Kurumi could simply shut down Rinne's own mind when she started going berserk, just like how Nia's memories of horrible torture were shut down. Rinne didn't mind having her mind manipulated: after all, she trusted Kurumi.

But, with the current plans, they were about to reverse the order. 'Kurumi' would use Ratatoskr's assistance to help both Rinne and the original Kurumi invade DEM.

This would conserve their energy and time while eliminating the need for Kurumi to risk AST's attention by draining a large number of citizens, plus relieving the tension between Rinne and Kotori somewhat. Plus, if Ratatoskr decided to keep their end of the deal, then phase three would be pretty much secured.

"Do you agree with us now, Kurumi?"

"Yes. I don't see a reason to oppose it at this point."

At that, Rinne let out a sigh of relief. However, all of sudden, Kurumi let go of her Cassiel, severing the connection between them, surprising the Ruler.

"Eh?"

The Nightmare Spirit leaped off the water tank and onto the rooftop's floor, not responding to Rinne, or even looking at her. Kurumi then walked forward, widening their distance.

Rinne mentally deactivated Web of Causality and prepared to leap off her position as well, however she stopped herself as soon she saw Kurumi stopped moving.

"Kurumi?" Rinne called, now concerned.

The goth girl didn't reply.

From where Rinne was looking at, Kurumi looked like a gothic girl who stood by herself in the midst of emptiness.

As both Spirits were on top of a skyscraper, the Ruler was able to see the scenery of the city as the background, and Kurumi as the center of the picture. She would love to photograph this scene, if she had a camera.

However, it also made Kurumi look very lonely, for some reason.

"You know…"

"Hmm?"

Kurumi suddenly broke the silence between them, prompting Rinne to listen.

"I wonder why do you want me to stop, Rinne."

It took Rinne a second to process what Kurumi meant before she widened her eyes in surprise.

 _"Wait, could she mean about her goal...?"_

Kurumi disliked talking about that topic, even to Rinne, who knew about it almost as much as the Nightmare Spirit herself. It was rare for Kurumi to initiate a conversation about it, unless-

 _"Ah, right. Our minds were shared."_

Then the Nightmare was fully aware of the Ruler's feelings.

When she met 'Kurumi of that day' Rinne had expressed one of her honest wishes.

The possibility of Kurumi giving up about her revenge for the First Spirit. The possibility that the 'other Kurumi' had embraced.

Rinne's desire for Kurumi to be saved. A desire she had harbored in secret for a long time now.

She was about to open her mouth, but Kurumi seemed to be aware of her discomfort, as the Spirit of Time immediately continued.

"Oh, please be at ease. I am not about to lash out or anything. I already know that you would have preferred me to give up on my desire. That much I know."

'Although I certainly didn't know you want it so much,' was left unsaid by Kurumi.

Her tone was even, but to Rinne, it was clear as day that Kurumi felt betrayed.

It felt like a knife to her heart. She never wanted to her to feel like that.

"If I succeeded in preventing the birth of the First Spirit, then Spirits will no longer exist. Me, you, Shido-san, everyone- will be normal humans. Wouldn't it be a better scenario than if I were to fail?"

Kurumi asked her with a hint of accusation and sorrow in her eyes and voice.

Rinne was blind and deaf if she couldn't see and hear that, and didn't know what it meant. Kurumi wanted to know why Rinne wished to stop her from doing that.

Normally Kurumi wouldn't even question that. The Nightmare Spirit had her personal reason to hate the First Spirit, and if her goal could bring good to the world, that was just a bonus.

The only one who could make Kurumi question that was Rinne herself.

 _"You are not wrong, Kurumi."_

A world with no disaster called the Spacequakes, and with no existences known as Spirits to cause conflicts.

A life where she could be a normal girl, live her life the way she wants it, to enjoy her hobbies, to make use of her talents, to pursue her interests, to fall in love with someone, and not being hunted for existing, and not be concerned about a mysterious past or connection.

Rinne desired that. Even more so than Kurumi, perhaps.

Even her desire to seek Shido was part of this wish.

Yes, the strange, familiar feeling when Rinne met Shido drove her curious and obsessed, but Rinne also felt like a normal girl with him.

Around him, Rinne felt like she wasn't a supernatural being who could read and play with the fates of all things.

Even though he was not a normal human, even if his past and origin were surrounded by as much mystery as hers, he still lived his normal life, he could still **s** **ee** himself as a human, much to Rinne's own astonishment and disbelief.

Truly, he was a 'human capable of wielding Spirit powers.'

Kurumi understood her desire of a normal life long ago, and had accepted it.

Rinne didn't blame Kurumi for questioning her like this, because to the avenger, a sincere wish for her giving up was an insult to everything Kurumi stood for.

But-

"I know. However, there is one thing I couldn't accept about that scenario, Kurumi."

The Ruler stopped for a moment. She had to keep her emotions in check.

Even realizing that, Rinne could feel her voice and her expression becoming melancholic.

"It's our memories in the new world."

Kurumi widened her eyes. Rinne ignored that and continued pouring out her feelings.

"If you prevented the First Spirit from existing, then your Zafkiel will no longer be around to protect our memories from the change of timeline. No one will remember about our previous life…"

Rinne had to stop there for a moment. Her emotions were almost unbearable.

She didn't want to say her reason for refusing to accept Kurumi's outcome.

 _"It sounds so selfish… no, it **i** **s** selfish."_

All the more reason she had to say it.

"Then you and I won't know each other, Kurumi."

Rinne said it.

Kurumi looked as if she was slapped by her words.

Rinne didn't blame her. She was well aware of how selfish it was.

She wanted a normal life, but at the same time she didn't want to let go of the relationship that her Spirit life had given her.

" _But that's my wish…"_

Was it so wrong? Kurumi too, made Rinne feel like a normal girl.

Kurumi was there to help her after she became a Spirit.

Kurumi had saved her from despair when she Inversed.

Kurumi could understand how it felt to be trapped in a life you didn't want, and Rinne too, understood her.

How could Rinne forget such a person? How could Rinne **allow** herself to forget?

Rinne would never forgive herself if she simply let go of Kurumi.

"You… am I really that important to you?"

Kurumi seemed to be very shocked.

Rinne frowned slightly at that. Wasn't that obvious by now?

"Yes. What are you talking about?"

"I don't understand. You yearned for a normal life, don't you? I can allow that to happen. You might not find out about your connection with Shido-san, but if history is rewritten, it wouldn't even matter. In the end, the only thing you will lose-"

"Is you."

Rinne interjected with a raised, pained tone. Surprised, Kurumi reflexively shut her mouth.

"You will have your own life, we won't even remember each other."

The Ruler bit her lip at mentioning that. It was the scenario she didn't want to happen.

"Isn't that a necessary and acceptable consequence?"

The Nightmare asked her back, a perplexed expression plastered on her face.

That ticked Rinne off.

How could Kurumi say something like that so easily?

Forgetting about each other was not the same as parting ways from one another.

Rinne would never accept the former, unless it truly meant the better for **both** of them.

"You don't know that! What about yourself? Will you be happier forgetting me!?"

Unable to calm herself down anymore, Rinne screamed her thoughts out.

Kurumi took a step back in shock.

Silence descended as Rinne and Kurumi only gazed to the eyes of each other for several moments.

Rinne pulled a deep breath. This was something she really didn't want to ask...

But Rinne had to know.

"Please… tell me. Will you be happier if you hadn't become a Spirit, and we had never met?"

Rinne softened her tone.

She had only lived right here, right now, because of Kurumi's actions, and Rinne was grateful for that.

Selfish as she was, Rinne wanted Kurumi to be happy.

Kurumi's happiness mattered to Rinne more than her own.

If... if Kurumi would get her closure and reached her happiness by achieving what she wanted...

Then Rinne would accept that, even if that meant they would end up forgetting each other.

Rinne wanted Kurumi to be happy.

With that in her mind, Rinne waited for Kurumi's answer.

Kurumi turned her gaze to her feet.

"My feelings don't matter."

The reply was so emotionless, that Rinne almost mistook it for a different person.

"What…?"

"Even if I believe my goal is a 'compassion' for this world, it doesn't make me a 'good' person."

Her voice slowly steadied, and her usual confidence returned to the voice, but Rinne still didn't understand. What was Kurumi talking about?

"Therefore, whether or not I am happy in the new world, it doesn't matter. Rinne, even you should not be concerned with me by then."

Kurumi answered resolutely.

Rinne was shocked.

Did Rinne hear right? Did Kurumi mean that?

" _What? What do you mean, it doesn't matter!?"_

Rinne gritted her teeth. Was this about Kurumi's refusal to be saved? Kurumi's insistence to see herself as a monster?

" _Even in a different world, you still don't want to be saved!?"_

The Ruler wouldn't accept that.

Every person, every life, deserved happiness in some form. Let alone Kurumi, who was not even close to an unfeeling monster that she thought she was.

But...

Rinne didn't rebuke Kurumi.

She had no right to.

 _"It's selfishness too, isn't it?"_

They were similar after all.

Rinne desired a normal life, but at the same time she was selfish enough to not let go the bonds she forged in her life as a Spirit.

She could only choose one, but Rinne didn't want to. She simply couldn't. She had even used Shido as an excuse for herself, to make her forget about her dillemma, and for her own convenience.

It almost made her feel disgusted at herself.

Kurumi desired to erase her regrets and exact her vengeance. But she didn't want to face the consequences of her actions.

Both the bad - the lives she claimed, the pain she caused for both others and herself, even the guilt carried in her heart.

And the good - the people whom she had helped, indirect as it might be, the feelings she had caused, from the likes of Shido and Rinne herself, even her own genuine joy in the life she had thought to be cursed.

Kurumi didn't want to live with those. Good or bad, she wanted to believe all of those were mistaken. Thus she devoted everything to undo the past.

They were different, but both of them were absurd.

It was hypocritical for her to try and call Kurumi out on it.

...That's right. She should be already aware of this.

Why was she surprised?

Did somewhere in her heart, she denied it, not wanting to accept that?

 _"Maybe I do... because I am afraid if it is true..."_

But, even if that was the case.

Even if this was being hypocritical for her...

Even so, Rinne wasn't going to let it end like that.

"If that's what you think, I understand."

Steeling her mind and resolve, the Ruler stated unflinchingly as she leaped off the water tank she had been sitting on and landed on her feet, standing at Nightmare's level now.

Rinne aggressively walked toward her friend, which prompted Kurumi to instinctively take another step back in caution.

"Ara? Rinne, what are you-"

Kurumi stopped herself as Rinne stood right in front of her, their eyes inches apart.

"Don't be afraid. I am not angry, or anything."

Rinne smiled as she echoed Kurumi's earlier statement during the beginning of the conversation.

Kurumi was visibly unnerved. Rinne understood that; both of them knew each other well enough to know what they would agree and disagree on.

Thus, Rinne decided to voice her feelings once again.

"I just want you to know something."

"...What is it?"

"I don't care if we are different, I am still your partner."

Rinne paused as she noticed that Kurumi's eyes widened a bit.

"I know that both of us are stubborn and selfish, so I want you to remember: there are people who will not give up on you."

"…!"

Kurumi's mouth gaped, she was so stunned that the girl forgot to breathe.

That reaction disappointed Rinne.

 _"You really don't know that you matter so much for me, huh...?"_

Still, Rinne held back her feelings. They had things to do, anything else could wait until then.

As the Nightmare stood there frozen, the Ruler walked past her.

"Let's go, Kurumi. We have a Realizer to acquire, and a Spirit to rescue."

* * *

 **And… that's it!**

 **Sorry if it's much longer than usual. Like always, if the chapter feels weird, say so. There are multiple story routes to go down from here, and rewriting this chapter's events is easy.**

 **Oh, it's about time for Kurumi, Rinne, and Rio (through Shido) to battle after the "Interluding Date" chapters. So for that, let me get some things straight:**

 **First, the Light Novels have stated repeatedly about Sephira Crystals, Spirit Mana/Reiryoku, and their effects. But, little explanation is given about how they work, and how they relate.**

 **We all know that Sephira Crystals continuously produce Reiryoku for Spirits. A Spirit can only run out of mana if they overuse their powers, which causes some detrimental effects to their bodies as well (when Miku's mana ran low in Volume 7, she was unable to even speak normally, and Kurumi implies that she will die if she uses up hers).**

 **But if this is true, there is an oddity. Why Kurumi needs to drain lifespan from others to recover her own power? Shouldn't her Crystal be able to recover it for her?**

 **For a long time, I am under the impression that lifespan and Spirit mana are two different things, and Kurumi's time powers need the former while her shadow powers need the latter. This would explain the oddity.**

 **However, Volume 10 proves this wrong, since Kurumi states clearly that she needs Spirit mana from Origami to send her five years prior, and that sending things to 30 years ago would take enough energy to use up a Spirit's life. This suggests that human's lifespan and a Spirit's Reiryoku are interchangable, if not actually equivalent.**

 **So why Kurumi's Crystal doesn't seem to work for Kurumi? There are two possible answers I could come up with:**

 **1) Kurumi's Crystal is an exception to the rule, meaning it couldn't produce its own Reiryoku, or;**

 **2) Zafkiel's time powers need so much power that her Crystal's recovery rate can't keep up with the consumption rate, meaning Kurumi will often find herself running out of power in an extended fight.**

 **From these two possibilities, I choose the latter for my fanfiction. This is probably not canon, but I hope it is.**

 **Secondly, I believe that the ability to attain Reiryoku from an external source is not unique to Kurumi. I believe that other Spirits are capable of that as well, although more than likely with a different way. We have several indications for this:**

 **1) Yoshino's power creates ice beams and blizzards by absorbing nearby water (it's not just anime visual effect, the novels confirm it too).**

 **2) When Kurumi talked about herself consuming humans, she said "The relationship between humans and Spirits, is just like this you know." This implies that not just her, some other Spirits can probably do the same thing.**

 **3) When Natsumi traps people inside her mirror dimension (which works similarly to Kurumi's shadow, by the way) she can dissolve people inside.**

 **4) Finally, Origami also manipulates surrounding light particles for her beam spamming.**

 **All of this suggests that, all Spirits can gain power from external sources. This theory will be true in my fanfiction.**

 **Each Spirit would have a different source of 'food', which is determined by their elements. For example, Yoshino can gain Reiryoku by absorbing nearby water source. Kotori would do the same with flames, Yamai with wind and lightning, Miku with the surrounding voices and music, Origami with the surrounding light, and so forth.**

 **Kurumi technically follows this rule, she consumes people's "time." And even for Spirits with unclear elements such as Tohka, Natsumi, Nia and Mukuro, this still holds true:**

 **1) Tohka's Sandalphon seems to manipulate natural forces. Those things are everywhere (remember gravity?) for her to absorb, which may explain why we have never seen Tohka worrying about her reserves.**

 **2) Natsumi can absorb people to her Haniel because they are part of her element (materials with shape and form).**

 **3) Nia's Rasiel actually seems to be powered by** _ **imaginations and fantasy**_ **, judging from Beelzebub's Ashufuriya. Again, it explains why Nia can use her Angel freely without much fuss (although, Westcott's five years of torture seem to have taken a toll on her reserves, which makes her weaker than Kurumi by the time of volume 13)**

 **4) Mukuro can manipulate the very fabric of reality with Michael, which might explain why she is freakishly overpowered (she draws power from dimensions themselves, which is literally everywhere)**

 **Needless to say, the two original Angels I made (for Rinne and Mayuri) shall follow this rule too. Although how it applies, will be shown later.**

 **And that's it! Sorry to drag this on for so long. State your opinion about the chapter and my theories in the review!**

 **Thank you for following "Alternate Reincarnation" so far!**


	13. Interluding Date, Part III

**A/N:** **Salutations! Let** **'s fulfill my monthly offerings to you readers, ok?**

 **Here is chapter 1** **3** **, "** **Interluding Date, Part III** **" for all of you!**

* * *

For the umpteenth time this morning, Miku shifted in her bed.

"..."

The diva had lost count of the number of sheeps she had counted since the moment she tried to sleep. Miku didn't even know how many hours had passed since she took a bath and changed into her nightgown near the midnight.

She had to get some rest. While as an idol Miku was quite used to physically straining schedule, she had been stalking two people throughout a mall for hours, all while carrying her not-so-small amount of purchased items and clothes, which was not exactly a walk in the park.

Worse, the ones she stalked were Spirits willing to kill her- and Miku would be lying if she said that she wasn't afraid. In fact, she was terrified so much that she felt like running away. The stress had weighed on her, and she was very tired, in body and in mind.

But-

" _Shido-san…"_

The diva couldn't even stop thinking about the man who lapsed into a coma before her very eyes.

Was he alright? Kotori had ordered for her and the others to rest, but how could Miku do that? Shido could be dying for all she knew, how could she sleep peacefully like nothing happened?

" _Is it because of me?"_

The reason Shido was even there that night was because of her request. Miku knew how determined Shido was about saving Spirits, and he had failed only once, with Tokisaki Kurumi.

Although the diva was skeptical that any Spirit could reject her darling forever, his failure honestly didn't annoy her, as crazy as that sounded. When Shido was unable to do something by himself, that was when Miku and the others could help him.

Miku also had a score to settle with Kurumi. The Nightmare Spirit had helped Shido to save her from herself. As much as Miku disliked that fact, it was the truth. So the diva promised herself, she would return the favor.

" _But what have I done…?"_

Far from helping Shido, Miku brought him pain instead.

Kotori and the Ratatoskr couldn't identify the cause of his coma, but for some reason, Miku felt it wouldn't have happened if she didn't ask Shido to come with her.

What had she done to Shido? What had she done to the others, by hurting him?

The guilt felt like a knife stabbing her heart.

"I…"

Miku whispered, to no one in particular.

All of a sudden, Miku felt a vibration under her soft, large pillow.

"Eh?"

Her mind was tired but she was wide awake, and she knew from the short vibration, it was a message to her phone.

" _Who could it be?"_

She brushed her negative thoughts aside as her hand reached for her phone.

Pressing a button to turn on the display screen, it displayed herself and Shido as its background picture, a single unread message, and that it was 7.37 A.M.

" _So it's already morning, huh…"_

Deciding that trying to sleep was pretty much pointless at this time, Miku rose into a sitting position while rubbing her eyes. After a moment, she opened the message.

It was from Tobiichi Origami.

'A Spacequake alert has been triggered, please come out from your mansion. We are waiting for you in a car. After you join us, we will leave to hide from DEM.' The message read.

The diva squinted her eyes.

" _A Spacequake?"_

Miku was awake all night, and yet she didn't hear anything.

" _Perhaps that meant the Spacequake didn't appear within this city block?"_

However, it was no use thinking about it. Miku had to be quick, considering that she lived separately from the other Spirits, everyone should have been picked up already.

" _I should not trouble the others more than I already did…"_

With that in mind, Miku threw away her blanket to the side and quickly went to her wardrobe.

* * *

In a few minutes, Miku was already in her casuals. Since they were going to the Ratatoskr's secret base, she figured she didn't need to bring much, so she just carried a purse with her for her phone and her wallet.

As she walked of her house, Miku could already see a car parked outside of her fence. The window of its driver seat was open, allowing her to see who sat in the front row.

Takamiya Mana was the driver, while Origami sat next to her. They seemed to have noticed her, as the white haired girl gestured her head to come.

Miku took a deep breath. Her fence was electronic and remotely controlled from inside the house, and she had already timed it to close in a minute. If she wasn't quick, she would waste more time.

" _Set… go!"_

Much to Miku's own surprise, despite feeling tired, her body felt light. She was able to run through her fence and reached the car long before the fence closed.

" _Probably because my Spirit power is returning…"_ Miku noted. Her mood was very, very bad after all.

She kept her mouth from frowning, and greeted her driver.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"No problem. Get in, Izayoi-san!" Mana replied.

Miku nodded. As she opened the car's door, she noticed that almost everyone were inside the car already… although, in a surprising condition.

In the middle row, the Yamai sisters were still clad in their pajamas, their eyes barely awake, and their hairs weren't even tied in their usual braids yet. Even with their differently colored clothes -pink and light blue- Miku still found it difficult to tell which one was which.

Miku's guilt grew in the back of her mind. Did they get a rest at all last night?

"Yo, Diva."

"Greeting. Good morning, Miku."

Contrary to what their looks suggested though, they sounded as fine as usual. Miku smiled a little at that while taking her seat behind Mana, next to Yuzuru.

Mentally noting that the one clad in pink was Kaguya and in light blue was Yuzuru, Miku greeted.

"Good morning, Kaguya-chan, Yuzuru-chan."

After greeting, she heard soft snores from behind her seat. Curious, Miku turned around to see the back row seat.

Tohka, Yoshino, and Natsumi were all sleeping and clad in their nightgowns, as well. The bigger girl were behind Kaguya, holding a large pillow, while the smaller girls were leaning on each other. Natsumi was behind Yuzuru, while Yoshino was behind Miku.

The diva noticed the dark bags unders their eyes, and in Natsumi's, there were tears flowing down her cheek, falling down into her and Yoshino's clothes.

Miku immediately looked away. She couldn't stand seeing her friends cry, even in their sleep. More so when she felt responsible for it.

" _I'm sorry…"_

The diva tried her hardest not to cry. She took a deep breath, and cast her gaze downward at her feet.

"Izayoi Miku."

She almost jumped at the monotone call of her name, courtesy of Origami.

Turning her gaze into the white haired Spirit, Miku noticed that Origami were staring at her, probably the whole time since she entered the car.

"Origami-san…?"

"If you are blaming yourself for what's happening, I advise you to stop."

The diva's mouth gaped in surprise. Did she just read her mind? Was Origami an ESP?

" _No, that's not it."_ Her rationale quickly kicked in. Anyone would be able to tell, just by looking at her. And Origami was not a mere 'anyone'

Miku sighed. The former AST soldier was very perceptive, so she might as well be honest with her.

"It **is** my fault, Origami-san."

The Spirit of Sounds was surprised with the amount of self-loath she felt from her own voice, and even the half-awake Yuzuru next to her flinched at her tone.

Origami however, didn't even change her blank expression.

"Shido will disagree with you, so I won't let you think like that."

At the mention of his name, Miku's attention, as well as the Yamai sisters' next to her, were immediately focused at the white haired Spirit.

Origami was not wrong- Shido would never blame Miku for any of this, even if she was the indirect cause of his coma.

However, Origami shouldn't say that. She was not Shido, she didn't have any right to say that. They didn't even know whether Shido was alright or not-

A realization struck Miku as her mind connected the dots.

" _Coult it be… Shido-san has recovered?"_

"What are you trying to imply, Origami-san?"

Miku tried to suppress how hopeful she sounded. However, Origami merely smiled, as if she detected the emotion behind her question.

Probably because she knew, her next sentence would break Miku's composure.

"Your 'Darling'… he is awake, and as healthy as ever."

* * *

Silence ruled over the city.

Because of the Spacequake alarm that went off nearly an hour ago around Raizen High, this part of Tenguu City was immediately emptied as its citizens hid within the shelters.

Using this to their advantage. 'Kurumi' led Shido to the other end of the city block, the Tenguu Square, where the original Kurumi and Rinne were waiting. It was also where Kotori would send Ratatoskr's equivalent of reinforcements.

Kotori was skeptical over their choice of rendezvous location, since that part of the town was an open space with not much buildings around -meaning AST and DEM were at an advantage- but 'Kurumi' assured them that it would not be a problem.

Shido had a vague idea as of why did 'Kurumi' choose that place, though. It held a special meaning for her. After all, it was where they last celebrated Tanabata together, and also where they parted their ways.

Although it seemed 'Kurumi of that day' returned because the original Kurumi recreated her on purpose this time, judging by how she carried herself during the deal a few minutes ago, it was disturbingly like the real Nightmare Spirit. Shido was slightly upset by that fact, but he didn't show it.

As the Square was empty, it was a far cry from the last time he was there. However, the feelings of nostalgia made Shido feel goosebumps. Standing in the middle of the Square, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

"This place… it's been awhile."

"Do you miss this place too, Shido-san?"

'Kurumi', who stood to his right, tilted her head to meet his gaze.

"Yeah. It's not as lively as before, but I don't dislike it."

"Really? So Shido-san likes it when he is isolated, alone together, and free to do anything with his girl?"

He processed that for a moment.

Then, after realizing just how wrong that sounded and that he **was** in that kind of situation with 'Kurumi' right now, Shido's cheeks became redder against his will.

Struggling to maintain his composure, he made a fake cough before he answered.

"N-no. I mean, we used to celebrate Tanabata here before, right? It was a good memory to me… and to be here with you again feels pleasant."

The goth girl smiled at his words, prompting Shido to smile in return. However, just as 'Kurumi' was about to speak-

"What! You celebrated Tanabata with this woman before!? When?!"

From the communicator in his ears, Kotori yelled loud enough for Shido to visibly wince in pain, causing Kurumi to pause.

"Ara?"

"Ouch, Kotori! You don't need to be so loud!"

The Itsuka brother replied in an irritated tone, prompting the sister to huff in annoyance, clearly waiting for his explanation. It was not nice of her, but he really couldn't blame his sister.

Shido had not told anyone about what happened in last year's Tanabata, about her meeting with 'Kurumi', and how she was murdered by her original a second time.

He didn't even tell Kotori about the contents of the Tanzaku he risked himself to hang at the top of the tree, since his sister had dismissed it as a childish tendency.

" _Note to self: I would have to explain things to Kotori and Reine, later."_

"Sorry I didn't tell you before, Kotori. I went with Kurumi for a date last year, during the Tanabata Festival."

He heard Kotori clicked her tongue, before she continued.

"And why didn't I know about this before? Do you have any reason to hide it?"

A rush of guilt hurt his conscience, but Shido continued to speak.

"The circumstances were complicated…"

"Really now." Kotori sounded skeptical. "Well, that can wait. By the way, ask that clone over there, where is her original and her partner?"

Shido frowned slightly at the way Kotori referred to 'Kurumi' as a mere clone, but he decided it was not worth it and turned to the girl in question.

"Kurumi, where are they?"

"Hum…"

The goth girl turned to look around. Shido followed suit.

As empty as the streets might look, the AST or DEM could be hiding around. The possibility of their location being found this quick was low due to Shido and 'Kurumi' demolishing every DEM mechs they encountered, but the chance was still there.

They didn't see anyone beside themselves, however.

"Strange… Rinne should be able to convince her by now…" 'Kurumi' said under her breath.

"Eh?" Shido raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

He didn't receive an answer, as a voice interjected.

"She already did, [Me]."

Shido widened his eyes as he recognized the distant voice.

Turning his back, Shido saw a familiar figure walking at his direction, with the exact same appearance as the girl next to him, the [Elohim] Astral Dress.

"Kurumi…" Shido muttered.

Instinctively, Shido moved in front of the 'Kurumi' next to him. The Spirit mana around his body became restless, as if alerted by a threat's presence.

Gazing into his eyes as if she could read his mind, Kurumi smirked.

"Your power… it's amazing. Protective of my past self, aren't you Shido-san?"

The real Nightmare Spirit spoke with a condescending tone, clearly directed at her duplicate behind him.

"I have no intention to let you murder her again, Kurumi."

Shido narrowed his eyes and declared his intention.

He pretended not to hear the happy squeal that 'Kurumi' let out behind him and the questioning 'hmm?' Kotori uttered from his communicator. Shido couldn't get his guard down, not when the Spirit of Time was before him.

However, contrary to what Shido expected, Kurumi sighed with a helpless expression.

"Nor do I have any intention of murdering her, Shido-san, I am just playing around. Rinne will be mad at me if I did that, anyway."

"Huh?"

The Itsuka siblings' confusion were muttered simultaneously, although Kurumi only heard Shido's.

The Nightmare sighed once more in response and pointed a thumb to behind herself, as if she was pointing at something.

Confused at Kurumi's gesture, Shido raised a brow.

"What are you…"

He paused himself as a very small flicker of light suddenly appeared right behind Kurumi's head. Before Shido could get a comprehension of what it was though, it disappeared.

" _What was that?"_ Shido thought.

In the next moment, his question was immediately answered.

"Ah, Kurumi. You are spoiling the surprise…"

Shido nearly gasped in surprise as he heard another voice, this time he couldn't recognize.

All of a sudden, Shido could see that color was literally drained of the space behind Kurumi, before numerous masses of light dissolved away into nothingness, revealing a familiar figure.

She was clad in a purple dress and headdress, as well as having braids that approached her legs. Even though Shido didn't saw her face, he immediately recognized who was it.

"Rinne…?"

" _Mama?"_

Much to the surprise of Shido and Rio -who had been listening silently within his mind since earlier- the Ruler Spirit appeared behind Nightmare, tilting her head slightly to send them a crimson gaze that pierced even the veil on her face.

"Good morning, Itsuka Shido."

Rinne greeted him with a calm, almost formal tone. Shido however, tensed at her mere presence, for reasons he couldn't tell.

"W-where did you come from?" Shido nearly stuttered.

"Ah, you mean the trick I did just now?" Rinne asked back.

The crimson light coming from beyond Rinne's veil seemed to glow brighter, much to Shido's horror. He had to consciously stop himself from gasping.

"It's a secret."

Rinne crossed her arms playfully. Under the veil, Shido assumed she was probably chuckling. The gesture was supposed to be adorable, but it really didn't help Shido to calm down at all.

" _Come on, pull youself together…"_ Shido thought to himself.

His rational thought told him he shouldn't be afraid of Rinne. However, the fact that she had the same appearance as the person who killed him in his vision last night was not a pleasant thought, at the very least.

And with her presence, Shido felt like his nervousness had been triggered due to his fear. His breaths became faster, and the thought of running away suddenly crossed his mind.

However-

" _Papa."_

" _Eh?"_

In the midst of his panic, Rio mentally called Shido with a very soft tone. It felt very vivid, as if someone whispered to his ears.

" _Don't be afraid. Mama is a very kind person, she won't do that."_

All of a sudden, Shido could feel something -or perhaps, someone- was holding his right hand tightly.

" _Papa shouldn't be afraid of Mama!"_

The invisible hand that clasped his within it seemed to lift his spirits. Shido was sure no one was touching him- and yet the comforting feeling he had could only be described as that.

His fear didn't disappear, but he had calmed down.

" _...Thank you, Rio."_

" _Rio is always here for Papa."_

Shido could almost feel the mental smile Rio gave him in return. If his 'daughter' was giving him this much, then he couldn't disappoint her.

Steeling his resolve, Shido whispered to the communicator in his ears to contact his sister.

"Kotori, may I call Rio right now?"

"Hah? For what purpose?"

The commander asked back with a surprised, questioning tone. Shido was honestly not expecting that, didn't she already know why?

"You know that she wants to talk with her 'mother,' right?"

"Oh… right."

Kotori seemed to sink into a deeper thought for a moment. Knowing her, Shido knew she was weighing the risk and the benefit of letting Rio met Rinne.

Shido just hoped his sister would allow it. Although he had no idea what that could cause them in the long run, it just felt right to allow a 'daughter' to meet her 'mother'

After a few moments, she finally gave the answer he wanted.

"It may be dangerous to inform them about Rio… but we are too deep in danger now anyway. I will permit it."

"Understood. Thank you, Kotori."

And with that, Shido closed his eyes as the enormous amount of Spirit mana that flowed around his body slowly accumulated into a shape he could comprehend, a human figure.

His eyes were mesmerized, as slowly but surely the incorporeal energy materialize and became corporeal.

In a few moments, a little girl clad in her red-golden dress and robe manifested mid-air to his right. She shook her head around to prevent her long, plum-colored hair from covering her face and vision.

"A-re?"

"Ara?"

The two Spirits before him were caught off-guard at the sight of the [Irregular] Spirit materializing before their very eyes, just like Shido was before. Rinne in particular took a few steps closer, as if she wanted to get a better look at Rio.

Rio's Astral Dress were overflowing with power, completely different with how she manifested before. The Spirit mana filled the atmosphere between them, and even Shido could almost feel it with his skin.

As Rio landed on her feet, Shido half-expected his 'daughter' to forget all sense of personal space and approached Rinne, but it seemed that he was mistaken.

The little Spirit stayed by his side, and held Shido's hand with hers, while smiling to the two people ahead of them.

"Good morning, Mama, Kurumin!"

To their credit, Rinne and Kurumi kept their surprise limited to their expressions, and in the Ruler's case Shido couldn't even tell whether she was actually surprised.

Their voices however, suggested otherwise.

"Ma, Mama? Why am I…?"

"Kurumin?"

Rinne sounded very perplexed at the fact that she was called 'Mama' while Kurumi seemed slightly offended at being called 'Kurumin'. However, before any of them could recover from the shock, the 'other Kurumi' behind Shido spoke.

"Shido-san, who is this?"

Not forgetting that 'Kurumi' was there, Shido turned his head to answer her. "Uh… it's very complicated-"

He was cut off by a cheerful squeal.

"Rio is Papa's and Mama's daughter, nice to meet you, Kurumin!"

The little Spirit let his hand go and twirled her body around and smiled at 'Kurumi' as Rio gave her usual explanation. Shido wanted to sigh, but he found himself smiling instead.

For her part, 'Kurumi' didn't seem to be convinced by Rio's words, however.

"Daughter?" She raised a brow. "You don't mean that in the literal sense, aren't you?"

"Rio means it!" Rio shook her head. "Papa gave birth to me with Mama, so Rio is their daughter!"

Shido supposed that this 'Kurumi' seemed to struggle making sense of that, judging from the contemplative frown on her face. He chuckled at how his 'daughter' managed to confuse her, before turning to Ruler and Nightmare.

"Let me introduce her. Her name is Rio, and she is… uh, a Spirit born from me?"

Shido wanted to explain more than that, but his head was still wrapping around the concept that he could actually create a Spirit out of his powers.

Kurumi seemed to be able to understand his words however, as a wicked grin formed itself on her face.

"I see. So this little Spirit is the one regulating your powers… right, Shido-san?"

"A-ah, yeah."

For some reason, Shido's instincts were alarmed at the tone Kurumi was using.

"Um… why does she call me Mama? Why am I her mother?"

Rinne still sounded amazed, which was rather uncharacteristic of her as far as Shido knew. Although he could hardly blame her for that.

"Uhh, as for that… I don't know, either."

Shido rubbed his head, because he really didn't know. He had wanted to ask Rio, but she had been so hyperactive since the morning that he couldn't ask about the topic.

"Ehee hee…"

The Irregular Spirit let out a cute, yet enigmatic giggle. Shido took a glance next to him at Rio as she turned again to face her 'mother'.

"Mama is Rio's Mama because Papa misses her so much!"

As Rio answered cheerfully, it took a moment for all the audience to process what she said.

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

Both Shido and Rinne uttered at the same time in surprise. Meanwhile, the Kurumis, if they were surprised, didn't seem to show it.

" _I… miss her?"_

The statement sounded ridiculous to Shido. He had just met Rinne yesterday, Shido couldn't possibly miss anyone whom he didn't even know before.

However, Shido wasn't exactly confident in his rational thoughts recently, especially not with Rinne, and definitely not with Rio. For all he knew, he might…

" _I… might have met Rinne before…"_

As he was deep in thought, however, Rinne seemed to voice her thoughts.

"W-what do you mean by that?"

Her expression was hidden behind her veil, but for some reason Shido was able to tell that Rinne was… embarrassed?

"Um? Rio means it. Papa misses Mama so much, Papa created Rio!"

Rio's powers seemed to react to those words, and the Spirit mana that saturated the atmosphere seemed to shift as if agreeing with her.

If Shido could feel it, he was sure the other people present -Rinne, and the two Kurumis- were able to tell it.

"I… see…"

Shido felt that Rinne wasn't convinced, but before she could say anything, Rio spoke once more.

"Nee, Mama. Rio wants to ask Mama about something."

"Me? What do you want to ask?"

"Rio is curious about-"

The little Spirit stopped herself as all of a sudden Rio's Spirit mana shifted sharply, startling all the people present.

Their density seemed to suddenly rise, and Shido felt it was harder to move his body through the thick mana saturation.

"R-Rio…?" Shido became concerned.

As Shido took a glance to Rio next to him, he saw that Rio silently turned her gaze upwards into the sky, as if something attracted her attention.

"What is that?" Rio asked with a curious tone.

"That? Where?" Shido followed Rio's gaze.

In a few moments, roughly 6 stories above the ground, a large aircraft -a helicopter- slowly appeared out of thin air, much to Shido's surprise.

" _No, not that…"_

Shido corrected himself. It didn't appear out of thin air, the helicopter was revealing itself, probably disabling its invisible wall made of Realizers.

The helicopter was larger than any helicopter Shido had ever seen. It was probably nearly 20 meters wide and more than 40 meters long, as well as equipped with both main and tail rotor blades. Despite the speed at which the rotors spun, there was no noise at all- definitely the effects of the translucent [Territory] surrounding it.

"Ara? A transport helicopter?"

"Shido, does it belong to the Ratatoskr?"

The Nightmare and Ruler immediately asked him for confirmation, which prompted Shido whispered to the communicator in his ears.

"Kotori, is it the reinforcements you are sending us?"

"Yeah, it is. Prepare yourself! Kannazuki is about to open the door."

As if responding to Kotori's commands, the automatic door at the left side of the aircraft slowly opened itself, revealing a tall, blonde man clad a white suit and trousers, who were in a military salute posture.

Shido knew who he was. Kannazuki Kyouhei, Kotori's vice-commander in Fraxinus.

"I apologize for the lateness of my arrival." He shouted, and yet the tone and the way he carried himself was calm and professional.

Kurumi -the original one- smirked. "So the Ratatoskr has a stealth transport besides their mothership? It seems I underestimated them."

"You look down on others much too often." Rinne let out a chuckle. "It's impressive, how come they didn't use this before?"

The vice-commander replied. "Although I would like to answer that, it's unrefined to chat outside. Shall we get in?"

"You got that." Shido replied.

Shido turned to Rio, who pouted slightly. It seemed that she really wanted to talk to Rinne, and Kannazuki's interruption were definitely not appreciated.

He wanted to pet his 'daughter's' head and tell her that it was fine, but the little Spirit suddenly shook her head and smiled, before turning to the Ruler Spirit.

"Mama, let's talk later. There are many things Rio wants to talk with Mama!"

Despite the cheerful tone Rio used, Shido could tell there was a hint of… irritation underneath it. Rinne seemed to realize it as well, seeing as she hesitated to reply.

" _Wait. When did I become so thoughtful?"_

Although he disliked it, Shido had to admit that Kotori was not exactly wrong to call him a 'blockhead' since even he knew that he didn't tend to pay attention to details, especially subtle ones.

The fact that he could tell Rio was irritated from her voice alone was quite unusual. Could there be… some sort of bond between them?

" _Does the Spirit pathway between us regulate more than just our Spirit mana?"_

Shido noted that he had to ask Reine that later.

"Ah… if Rio-chan says so."

As Rinne reluctantly complied, Rio nodded her head with a smile before taking Shido's hand once more.

Immediately, Shido could feel Rio's mana flowed into him, and suddenly he felt his body becoming very light. Gravity once again didn't affect him.

And with that, all the people on the ground flew their ways into the helicopter, and the door closed.

* * *

Inside the chopper, it was surprisingly spacious. The walls were painted similarly to the walls of Fraxinus rooms, and there was a large, circular table in the middle of the room. With the thirteen chairs surrounding it, it gave the impression of the Round Table.

There was a door with a large window, likely leading to the cockpit of the aircraft. There was another, windowless door at the opposite end of the room, which gave the impression of a dead end, despite being a door.

"Welcome, to Ratatoskr's stealth infiltration aircraft unit, [Hrasvelgr]."

Kannazuki made a bow as he greeted the five guests, Shido, Rio, Rinne, and the two Kurumis. The first two appeared fascinated, while the other three appeared more wary than impressed.

"Although Shido-kun is aware of my identity, I believe I haven't met the four of you in person. It's a pleasure to meet you Spirits, I am Kannazuki Kyouhei, vice-commander of the Fraxinus."

At this, the real Nightmare Spirit smirked at the blonde, her intentions clear.

"Ara, aren't you the polite one. Unlike your commander."

Shido could hear an offended gasp from the communicator in his ears. Fortunately, the Ruler Spirit decided to interject.

"Kurumi, that's enough already. Thank you for accepting our offer and providing us with your assistance, Ratatoskr."

"That being said… [Cassiel]."

Invoking her Angel's name, a small portal made of darkness appeared before the Ruler, and she inserted her hand into it.

Rinne then drew out a purple lyre, and as soon as it was pulled out completely, its ten strings reached out and became much longer, surrounding her, and the two Kurumis next to her.

It was familiar for Shido, who saw it before when he first saw Rinne yesterday on the school rooftop.

"Please forgive me for being on-guard. My Angel will tear any Territory trying to entrap us, so don't bother trying."

The Ruler's tone was even, but the threat behind it was clear. Shido could feel chills ran down his spine, and even Rio next to him looked worried.

Kannazuki however, didn't even change his expression and kept his smile.

"We won't do such a thing. Now, would you please take a seat?"

The vice-commander gestured to the seat. Rinne took a seat first, which prompted 'Kurumi' to sit to her left. The real Kurumi stood behind them both, similar to a bodyguard.

After a moment, Shido decided to take a seat in Rinne's opposition, while Rio sat to his right. After everyone took their respective seats, Kannazuki took a seat next to Shido.

"Now then."

Kannazuki leaned his arms on the table, and clasped his hands under his chin. His calm, brown eyes looked as if they were staring down the three Spirits across the table, which was unusual of him.

Shido could not recall seeing the blonde masochist this serious before, which impressed him.

"Let's begin." The blonde said evenly.

* * *

 **There you go! Please drop whatever is in your thoughts about this chapter in the reviews!**

 **Sorry for being late for a week, this chapter was quite difficult to write with my college schedule. Still, I managed it: tell me if ANYTHING feels wrong, I am fixing it as soon as I can.**

 **I didn't get any review for the last chapter… Have I started losing readers, after all? I'm sorry for my hiatuses, but I know that's not what you want. All I can do is write to the best of my abilities.**

 **Still… thank you for following the development of Alternate Reincarnation so far!**

 **Note: Hraesvelgr is the eagle residing on the top of Ygg-Drasill, from Norse mythology. Ratatoskr is... sort of the squirrel that climbs up and down the World Tree, delivering the message between the eagle and the serpent that chews down the roots of the World Tree, Niohoggr.**


	14. A Glimpse of Eden

**A/N:** **Hello again! It's been quite a while, isn't it** **?** **Sorry, I have been busy last month. There were… unexpected problems in my life, that left me more than a bit pissed.**

 **But forget about that. Now** **it's chapter 14** **, "** **A Glimpse of Eden** **"** **. It's way longer than any chapter before, and for good reason: the battle with DEM begins** **! I have been excited to write this chapter! So let's not waste any time!**

* * *

"Let's begin. How about we start by confirming the legitimacy of your offer?"

Kannazuki began the meeting with that question.

It was not that Kannazuki doubted the opposition. The vice-commander had thought that it was highly unlikely for Nightmare and Ruler-to be bluffing at this point.

Especially seeing as the Ruler's Angel, [Cassiel] was active.

Because of Rio's presence -as her Spirit mana had flooded the entire room- it was difficult for Kannazuki to precisely determine the thickness of Rinne's mana surrounding the ten strings of her lyre.

However, it was not enough to blind the experienced Wizard's senses. He could tell that as faint as it was, Cassiel's strings possessed enough power to tear apart not just the Territory of [Hrasvelgr], but likely the entire aircraft as well.

And yet, despite the overwhelming advantage they had in an enclosed space of the aircraft, the opposition didn't display any hostile intent. It was probably because of Rio, but that also meant they were willing to go through with their offer.

Still, he went through and asked the question anyway. Being cautious against everything, except in regards to Kotori, was natural for Kannazuki.

 _"Yes, I should only drop my guard when I am around the Commander."_

As he waited for a response, his question was replied with a giggle.

It came from the Nightmare Spirit, the one who didn't take a seat and stood behind the Ruler's chair like a bodyguard.

"You are still in doubt about that? It can't be helped then."

Kurumi opened her hands as a flintlock pistol flung itself out of her shadow, and into her hand.

"I'll explain."

Shido -who was sitting next to himself- tensed. However, Kannazuki himself kept his composure. There was no reason to panic, no matter what situation you were in. Much less, a situation where your opposition wouldn't attack you.

Sensing what happened despite not seeing it directly, 'the other Kurumi' who took a seat turned her head to the Kurumi who summoned a gun.

"Ara, you don't mean to…"

"Yes, I do. He doesn't seem to mind all that much, anyway."

And with that said, the gun-wielding Kurumi stared Kannazuki down with a challenging grin.

"As Shido-san might have told you, the [Tenth Bullet] of my [Zafkiel] is capable of reading the past of objects it has pierced. Therefore, gathering information is relatively easy."

Kurumi touched her lips as she paused. The Nightmare obviously enjoyed what she was about to say.

"I shoot a Wizard, then I know about their branches. I shoot a superior officer, then I know about their secrets and more important branches."

As she explained with glee, Kurumi pointed the gun at Kannazuki's direction.

"I can confirm it here and now by transferring the memories I have received to you. Do you want to give it a shot?"

"I don't mind, so long as it can confirm your stance in your offer."

Kannazuki replied easily.

Shido glanced at him with some anxiety, but Kannazuki paid no heed. Seeing this, Kurumi let out an amused snicker.

"Hihihi. No hesitation at all? What confidence… I don't dislike that."

The Nightmare Spirit moved around the circular table, slowly approaching Kannazuki. As soon as she could reach him, Kurumi gently put her hand on his shoulder, and put her gun on top of it.

As their eyes met, Kannazuki gave Kurumi an aside glance, while she seemed to be evaluating him with her eyes.

It was then followed by a grin. The Nightmare seemed satisfied with what she saw.

"Zafkiel, Yod."

That instant, Kannazuki felt… something **alien** just assaulted his mind.

For a moment, just an instant, Kannazuki felt like he was a different person. The memory of someone he didn't know suddenly became one of his own.

It came from the Spirit next to him, of course.

"This is…"

The first thing he could see within the memory was the numerous blood red lights that glowed brightly in the midst of darkness.

 _"Are we all gathered, yet?"_

It was followed by a familiar voice.

 _"Ten, eleven, twelve… okay. All thirteen one of us has gathered."_

Listening to the phantasmal conversation in his head, Kannazuki realized that the glowing red orbs were the eyes of Kurumi's clones. That meant this memory too, belonged to one of them.

As he paid attention to the surroundings, it seemed that they were on the deck of a large ship- they had infiltrated a harbor in the middle of night.

 _"Rinne said that it is East from here, right?"_

 _"Yes. This will probably take hours. Brace yourself, [Mes]!"_

Not too long after, he could hear several identical voices saying something along those lines.

Then one by one, including the one whose memories were shared to Kannazuki, the gothic girls leaped off the ship, and into the waters below.

The suicidal action only made Kannazuki more aware that this memory truly didn't belong to an ordinary human. Even as he -or rather, this Kurumi clone- hit the body of water, he couldn't feel any kind of unpleasant sensation.

It seemed that the Astral Dress really served to protect the Spirit's body from everything.

 _"Mobilize!"_

As one of the Kurumis shouted, he felt a sensation as though gravity suddenly didn't affect his body. Soon after, all the Kurumis used their flight powers underwater, all going to the same direction.

It was a very long journey. Kannazuki felt like the group of Kurumis were under the sea for over two hours.

And yet, it was only a memory. The passaged of time seemed like an instant, and by the end of it all-

 _"There it was!"_

The clones popped their heads out of the water. And then, Kannazuki could see an island -very small, due to the distance- at the horizon.

It looked like a natural island. However, neither Kannazuki's senses or the Kurumis were fooled. The invisible Territory surrounding the island was clear to them.

 _"Hmm… is that the [Cage of Judgment], where [Material B] is imprisoned?"_

 _"It doesn't look well-defended. Could Rinne be mistaken?"_

 _"No, the DEM isn't so stupid as to surround their branches with obvious weapons. Well then, what should we do, [Mes]?"_

 _"Our original and Rinne will invade this place tomorrow. So we have to give them the sense of direction, no?"_

All of a sudden, all of the Kurumis around him suddenly turned their heads to look at him. Kannazuki's instincts was immediately alerted, even though he knew that this was just a memory.

Probably because all of them was looking at him with a devious smile. Maybe because their blood red eyes were glaring at him with murderous intent.

Or perhaps, it was both of them.

Then- he could feel a cold sensation at the back of his head.

Kannazuki was caught off-guard. Could it be, they-

 _"Sorry, [Me]. We don't have time for a rock-paper-scissors~"_

It was the last words he heard from the memory, as it ended abruptly with the sound of a trigger being pulled.

"...!"

Regaining his normal senses, Kannazuki opened his eyes, only to see that he was still in the room. Reflexively, his hand reached for the back of his head, as if it was hurt.

"This is…"

His head was intact, of course. Otherwise he wouldn't have been alive. And Kannazuki was not the one getting shot, it was the Kurumi in the memory.

Yet… he couldn't help but do that out of reflex.

"Ara ara."

Seeing his reaction, the Nightmare Spirit -who still stood right next to him- snickered, not hiding her amusement at all.

"Not counting Rinne, you are the first to ever receive a memory of mine, Kannazuki Kyouhei. How does it feel?"

Kurumi asked with a condescending tone. It was obvious that her question was less curiousity and more of a mockery.

That being said, the memory was informative. It did give him the feel of the direction to where this [Cage] was.

"It was fascinating. The branch is called [Cage of Judgment]… is it? Thank you for the confirmation."

Kannazuki spoke calmly in return. Kurumi's grin grew even wider at that, before she turned around and moved back to her original position behind Rinne.

He expected her to continue the discussion, but it was the 'other Kurumi' who spoke in her place.

"Now that we have given you confirmation **and** the direction, what else do you want to confirm before we begin the strategy discussion, Ratatoskr?"

The vice-commander leaned on his chair and crossed his arms, keeping his expression neutral as he prepared to answer.

"Nothing more. Now that we know the location, we shall formulate an invasion strategy."

Kannazuki paused himself, as his eyes gauged the reaction of the Spirits across the table.

The 'Kurumi' who was sitting down widened her eyes slightly, but only for an instant. Meanwhile, the Kurumi who transferred her memory still kept her smile on her face. For Rinne, her expression was unreadable underneath the veil.

It seemed that one of them didn't expect Kannazuki to change topics and agree with them so soon. This meant that they were prepared to argue, and didn't trust the Ratatoskr.

 _"Nightmare and Ruler certainly know how to handle a negotiation…"_

Keeping this in his mind, Kannazuki decided to continue.

"Since you intend to do this invasion with or without our assistance, are we correct to assume that you already have a strategy planned?"

To his surprise, the three Spirits across the table nodded their heads in perfect sync. Then, the Ruler Spirit -who had been silent since the start of discussion- finally spoke.

"Indeed, we have. It would be easier if Kurumi just shared her memory about the strategy we devised, but that way you won't be satisfied, I suppose?"

Rinne said calmly as she pointed her finger to the wall around them, as if saying that 'the walls had ears'

Kannazuki narrowed his eyes slightly.

These two Spirits were clearly aware that other members of the Ratatoskr and the Fraxinus needed to know about their strategy, as it surely had hints about their abilities.

 _"Considering their intelligence, they could easily come up with some fake plan on the spot, and it won't even count as a lie."_

However, Kannazuki had to give them the benefit of doubt. He had no choice but to trust whatever they would say from this point on.

"Yes. Please elaborate."

* * *

"We are here."

Origami let out a sigh at Mana's words.

Indeed, their car had finally entered the basement of the Ratatoskr's warehouse. However, it had taken much longer than expected, nearly fourty minutes if she estimated correctly.

Still, Origami couldn't complain. It was not that Takamiya Mana was an unskilled driver and had to drive slowly -on the contrary, even- but they had to take a complex route to avoid surveillance by the AST and DEM.

Ratatoskr didn't own every security cameras in the city, so this was necessary.

Still, it took longer than Origami would like. At this rate, Shido certainly had departed to deal with whoever Spirit had summoned the Spacequake, be it Nightmare, Ruler, or someone else.

Origami felt bad for the other passengers in the car. When she had said that Shido had recovered, they certainly look forward to seeing him in person.

Especially-

"Unseal the gate or else I shall break it with force!"

"Demand. Please unlock the car."

"Mana-san, please!"

…If they were this excited.

Even Origami found it hard not to smile at the naked emotions that the other awake Spirits -the Yamai twins and Izayoi Miku- had been displaying since she dropped the news about Shido's recovery earlier.

Of course, Origami too was looking forward to see Shido again. But there was no need to be too excited about it when he was busy, no?

She didn't say that, though. Good mood and excitement would help Itsuka Kotori as well as Shido himself, after all.

In response to Miku's request, Mana turned to Origami.

"Tobiichi-san, you know your way around the base, right? Please lead them on."

"What about those three?"

Origami was referring to the Spirits who were still sleeping in the back of the car- Yoshino, Natsumi, and Yatogami Tohka. Not that she cared much for one of them, but she was sure that all three of them wanted to meet Shido as well.

Mana merely smiled.

"I will wake up the sleepyheads. Go ahead."

"Very well. My thanks."

As Mana unlocked the car's door, the three Spirits in the mid-row immediately went out of the car.

"Come, sister, Diva! Let's go!"

"Scoff. Yuzuru doesn't need Kaguya to remind her."

Miku didn't even pay attention to the exchange between the twins and just straight up ran to the hallway leading to a lift's entrance.

Seeing all of this, Origami sighed as she too exited the car.

"Don't get lost."

Origami was not sure whether the three Spirits ahead of her actually listened to her warning, so she decided to move quicker.

* * *

The Chupa Chups on her mouth was very sweet.

However, Kotori couldn't really enjoy its tastes, as she was in deep thought.

Even though she and her crew were in the hangar where the under-repairs Fraxinus was, everything happening within the Hrasvelgr were directly transmitted here.

On the conrol room, the screen was displaying Shido on one side of a circular table. On the other side, there were Rinne, and two Kurumis.

Rio wasn't around because the discussion was already over, and she had returned within Shido. Kannazuki was also piloting the aircraft, so he had to be in the cockpit.

Honestly, Kotori didn't know what to expect from this meeting at first. Two powerful, enigmatic Spirits had approached them and offered them a Spirit to secure, and a chance to be observed. So, the Commander had expected to be surprised.

But what Nightmare and Ruler had in store of them were almost beyond her expectations.

Their strategy was very simple, but relative to the enemy's strength, it could be very effective. For example, if the target was one of Ratatoskr's facility, it would be taken down for sure.

Kotori shuddered at the thought of these two Spirits tracking down, and destroying the Fraxinus. However, that was not all.

Rio -the [Irregular] Spirit- was dangerous beyond belief.

When Rinne asked Rio to describe what she could do with her powers, the little Spirit had revealed something beyond her wildest imaginations.

 **[Aspect of the Sephiroth]**.

From its name alone, Kotori knew what it meant. She didn't even need Reine's analysis just now to know what it implied.

What Rio had shown them a few minutes ago was just a glimpse of her true power.

Forget about Shido when he went berserk, Rio could singlehandedly annihilate millions of people, even without calling forth a Spacequake, if she wanted to. Simply because she could command the immense power contained within her 'father'

It was unbelievable that she could carry so much power and her body didn't begin to overheat like Shido did. And yet, that was the fact of the matter.

 _"Is it because her body is made from Spirit mana itself?"_

If Reine's previous check on Rio was correct, then that would be the reason. So long as her mental state was stable, her powers would never go out of control.

The Commander made a mental note to observe the Irregular Spirit's behavior more closely from now on. They needed that for future plans.

As Kotori was thinking however, she heard the automatic door of the control room opened.

"Eh?"

"Ah, it's you girls."

Kotori let out a confused sound as four beautiful young girls entered the room, while Reine welcomed them.

Of course, the Commander knew them all -they were Origami, Kaguya, Yuzuru and Miku- Spirits whom Shido had sealed, and the Ratatoskr had secured. The reason why Kotori was surprised was not their arrival.

But rather, their appearance and state. Origami was clad in Raizen High's winter uniform; the Yamai sisters were still in their pajamas -and with their hairs down, they now truly looked identical- one in pink and one in blue; only Miku was wearing something casual, with her dark purple dress.

"What the… Kaguya, Yuzuru! Why are you dressed like that?"

The twins merely glanced at each other for a moment, before returning their gaze on Kotori.

"As soon as we heard from the White Devil that our Prince has awoken, we ran here as fast as the wind itself to see him."

"Translation. We heard from Master Origami that Shido has recovered from his coma. We want to see him."

Kotori smiled a bit at that.

 _"It seems that they are not that upset…"_

The Commander was honestly pretty anxious when Shido collapsed last night. Not just for her brother, but for the other Spirits.

Without a doubt, they were all worried about him. However, she couldn't allow the other Spirits to push themselves too much- hence why Kotori ordered them all to go back while Shido was handled here.

Everyone in the Fraxinus was busy with the task of repairing the ship. Therefore, they couldn't watch over the other Spirits' mood levels consistently. Even now, they had to stop working as they had to watch over Shido and Kannazuki.

So, Kotori hoped it was the correct decision to send them back to home.

 _"But they certainly had missed Shido, in more ways than one."_

"Look at that."

Kotori then pointed her Chupa Chups at the screen with Shido, Rinne, and Kurumi in it. As she did so, the eyes of the four Spirit guests were immediately glued to the screen.

Kotori gauged their reactions. Seeing Shido on the screen, the Yamai sisters looked positively happy, and Miku's eyes grew wide, clearly shocked. Meanwhile, Origami didn't change her expression.

Kaguya was the first to comment. "Humph. So it was them, eh? Did those two summon you for a Round Table Meeting?"

"Curious. Where are they?" Yuzuru, being the sharper twin, quickly asked what was not obvious.

"They are within one of our stealth aircraft, Hraesvelgr. And Kaguya, you are right. Kurumi was the one who alerted the Spacequake alarm to call us for a deal."

Origami narrowed her eyes slightly. "Deal, huh? Ruler already made Shido promise to date her… what more could she want?"

Kotori could sense the agitation in Origami's voice. To be honest, she was right… but Shido had already made her promise about that too.

"She wants to-"

"Hik"

Suddenly, a strange sound cut her off. Kotori was caught off-guard and stopped speaking, and even the three Spirits she was talking with looked surprised.

Even the other crew members, whose concentration were fixated on the monitor they were working on, also stopped. It seemed that everyone was able to recognize what sound it was, and whom it belonged to.

Miku was crying.

"Thank goodness… I still have a chance… Shido-san is okay…"

Her legs were trembling, she looked barely able to stand. Her voice was also very faint, nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

She was also not looking anywhere but down, allowing her hair to cast a shadow over her eyes. However, the tears flowing down to her cheeks were not hidden.

Seeing this, Kotori couldn't even express her shock.

Before anyone could say anything, all of a sudden Miku turned around, and ran to the door she came from.

"Wa-wait! Miku!"

Kotori called out to her, but Miku didn't respond. As everyone else was too surprised to react, the diva left the room without impedence.

 _"What the- Why did she run away?"_

Kotori forced her brain to think as quick as it could.

Judging from Miku's words, she was not just relieved. Kotori could tell that much, simply from the fact that she didn't call Shido 'darling' like usual.

But Kotori couldn't quite figure out what else Miku meant. It was unclear, due to how weak her voice was.

 _"The whisper was too weak… wait. It can't be!"_

Kotori nearly dropped the Chupa Chups in her mouth as a realization struck in. Miku's mental state was unstable, and her Spirit powers were returning.

To be precise, her [Gabriel]'s [Solo], the [voice] that could compel absolute obedience. Miku ran away because she didn't want to affect the people in this room with her crying voice, which would carry similar -if less stable- effect.

She couldn't be left alone now. Someone had to calm her down.

Kotori wanted to be the one to do so, but she had no way to counter Miku's Solo. She needed something to neutralize sounds.

The Commander turned to her crew.

"All of you! Do you have any noise-filters for your ears?!"

The crews were startled by her panicked voice, but judging from their lack of reply, no one seemed to have it.

Fortunately for them, one person did reply to Kotori.

"I do."

Kotori was almost relieved that it was Reine who answered her. She could be trusted with this task.

The Commander really wanted to thank the analyst now, but that could wait. There was no time.

"Please, follow her. Her powers are unstable."

"Understood."

Reine didn't waste any time as she quickly moved to the door and exited the room.

As she saw the analyst left, Kotori let out a sigh as she leaned on her chair.

 _"Kuh. What correct decision? I am a cruel Commander."_

The Commander didn't even need to guess how did Miku become unstable. It was obvious that she didn't take Shido's coma well.

And Kotori's order for them to return certainly had made it worse.

In hindsight, Kotori should have seen it coming… Miku was the one who instigated the reckless operation last night, so it was possible for her to blame herself for Shido's condition.

 _"I didn't think it would go that far, though… I am so stupid!"_

The redhead glanced at the three Spirits who remained in the room -Kaguya, Yuzuru, Origami- the first two looked uneasy, as if not knowing how to react to the scene. Origami looked troubled, but not as obvious.

Kotori could pretty much guess what they were thinking from that.

"That was because of my ridiculous order, wasn't it? Do you blame me?"

Two of them flinched at Kotori's very blunt question.

Not surprisingly, it was the Yamai sisters who did. It was not hard to see that they understood what Kotori meant.

 _In fact, it would be natural for them to be irritated at me, I suppose…_

Seeing as the twins hesitated to look at her, Kotori took their reactions as a 'yes.' However, Origami shook her head, signifying her rejection.

"It wasn't because of you. And I won't forgive anyone who blames you."

Kotori was slightly surprised at the surprising amount of emotion that could be felt from the usually cold Origami's voice.

That made Kotori a bit uneasy. Whenever Origami spoke like that, that meant she was more than a bit serious.

"It isn't your responsibility to decide what we feel. Shido was hurt, and none of us could prevent it. No matter what you do, all of us were hurt by that fact, including you. There is no need to blame anyone for something that we cannot do anything about."

Origami said so unhesitatingly.

Kotori couldn't hide her surprise from showing on her face.

Not only the firmness was clear on Origami's words, the words itself were very familiar to her ears. It made Kotori's heart felt comfortable, despite herself.

 _"Those words… it sounds like something Oni-chan would say…"_

And that stopped all the arguments she was about to say.

Kotori wanted to argue: as a leader, she had responsibility to protect the Spirits Ratatoskr had secured. As the first Spirit who was sealed, she had to consider the feelings of the sealed Spirits who came after her. What was happening to Shido and Miku were marks of her failure.

And yet, Kotori didn't know what to say against Origami's defiance.

"I…"

However, before Kotori could continue, she was cut off by the sound of the automatic door opening once again.

The one who entered was a group of four girls, the same number as before. The eyes of everyone in the room were on them.

"I am sorry for being late!"

The stern voice came from Mana. Behind her, Tohka, Yoshino, and Natsumi entered the room with serious looks on their faces.

"Where is Shido? Mana, you said he is awake already!"

Tohka looked around the room, clearly searching for Shido.

Mana grinned as she glanced at the large screen ahead of them, the one displaying Shido and the two opposition Spirits.

"Uh, Tohka, it's there…"

Natsumi seemed to notice the screen's presence as well, as she pointed her finger to its direction with a giggle. Her gesture prompted Tohka and Yoshino to follow her line of sight.

Not surprisingly, Tohka's eyes practically sparkled and Yoshino smiled happily as soon as they saw Shido's figure on the screen. Kotori let out a sigh of relief at that- at least they were not too upset as well.

However-

"...!"

"T-that is…"

Yoshino closed her mouth with her hand as if to prevent herself from screaming, while Tohka's eyes grew wide as if she just saw something repulsive.

It wasn't overlooked by the other Spirits, of course.

"Hmm? You look like you have seen a ghost. What sort of apparation is scaring you, my kinsmen?"

"Concern. Tohka, Yoshino, you two look pale. May I ask what's wrong?"

"Yoshino? Are you okay?"

The Yamai twins and Natsumi showered the two of them with questions.

"Um… I, I don't know how to put this…"

"N, nothing! We are fine!"

Yoshino seemed to hesitate to answer, while Tohka flat-out denied anything was wrong. The other Spirits didn't look like they believed it, but they didn't press the two of them.

Kotori knew better, however.

It was certainly caused by fear. Recognizing Ruler on the screen certainly triggered their instinctive response.

 _"So it was not only Origami and myself… Tohka and Yoshino as well, eh?_

The redhead took mental note of that. That proved that whatever Ruler was using to affect them, it had influenced five of them already.

 _"How about the others, I wonder…"_

But answering that question could wait. Kotori could ask all of them later for confirmation, after Shido's mission was over.

As Kotori was deep in thought, Mana seemed to have noticed something else.

"Wait… where is Izayoi-san?"

It was Mana's turn to look around the room.

At that, the Yamai sisters glanced at each other with anxiety, while Origami turned to look at Kotori, apparently expecting the Commander to answer for them.

Kotori wanted to sigh again seeing that, but she stopped herself.

"Miku is with Reine right now. She will be back soon."

She wanted to elaborate more, but there was no need to tell the Spirits something that might upset them now.

Kotori would make sure to make up for her mistakes later though. Origami might try to say otherwise- but she couldn't let it slide. No Commander could make a mistake without being punished for it.

Understanding that Kotori didn't want to say anything more, Mana nodded as she continued.

"I see. May I ask for situation report then? What is Ni-sama doing with Nightmare and Ruler?"

Mana's concern was obvious, and it was clearly shared by every Spirit there. Knowing this, Kotori cleared her throat.

"To put it into basic terms? A deal."

* * *

Shido honestly didn't know what to do.

He wasn't confident with his sense of time, but Shido felt like he had not moved from his seat to do anything for nearly half an hour.

 _"What should I do?"_

Kannazuki went to the cockpit to pilot the aircraft to the DEM-controlled island called 'Cage of Judgment,' while Rio returned back within him to conserve her energy for the mission. That left him with no one familiar to speak with, at least physically.

Shido would be content to speak privately with Rio in his mind, but-

 _"Papa, why aren't Papa talking with Mama?"_

 _"It's… not that easy, Rio."_

Even if her voice was mental, Shido could practically feel that Rio was **excited** for him to talk with Rinne, and she had been trying to encourage him for quite a while now.

It was true that Shido was not alone in the room, there were two Kurumis and Rinne across the table in front of him, and if he wanted to pass the time by chatting, he could simply ask.

The problem was, he was not sure whether the three Spirits in front of him would… like it, if he talked with them.

The 'Kurumi' clone leaned on her chair with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, her expression peaceful as if she was sleeping.

Meanwhile, the real Kurumi had taken a seat to Rinne's right, and the two partners were holding Cassiel -the lyre on Rinne's hand- together.

Shido wasn't sure what the two of them were doing, but Kurumi occasionally… smiled, laughed, and glanced at her friend. Rinne returned the posture each time, although her facial features were hidden.

The two of them appeared to be chatting… somehow.

 _"How could they communicate without even making a sound?"_

Shido was curious about that, but more than that, he didn't want to interrupt the two of them if they were chatting privately.

Especially, if the two of them looked so… happy. Shido couldn't see Rinne's face, but from the way Kurumi expressed herself -her genuine smile, her laugh- it was clear that at least one of them was enjoying whatever they were engaged in.

He never thought that Kurumi would ever show that much emotion when with someone. Shido had only ever seen that on 'Kurumi' before, and it changed Shido's opinion of her a bit.

Still, that left Shido with nothing to do and no one to talk with.

 _"But Papa, it doesn't have to be like that! Papa is also here, we can all talk together!"_

 _"I don't think I can be sure about that. What should I talk about?"_

That seemed to get Rio to think for a moment, as Shido heard a little 'hum' in his head.

 _"Rio isn't sure either… maybe ask if Mama and Kurumin really are chatting?"_

 _"That's blunt! …But I can't think of any other way."_

Shido was surprised at Rio's lack of subtlety. However, after a moment, he had to admit that it was probably the right way to start.

"Uh, Rinne…?"

"Yes?"

Even though it was only Rinne who answered him, the eyes of all three Spirits there were directed at him, including the 'Kurumi' that was supposed to sleep.

Shido was startled for a moment, but he shrugged it off as he continued.

"Are you and Kurumi… talking to each other?"

The two Spirits in question glanced at each other, before Rinne replied.

"Yes. It isn't obvious for you?"

"No, I mean yes, it **is** obvious, but I don't know how you two do it…"

Shido nervously scratched his cheeks. Seeing this, Rinne and Kurumi once again glanced at each other.

Kurumi followed it up with a smile.

"Ara ara, Shido-san. Are you curious about what are we talking about?"

"Can't say that I am not."

Then, the Nightmare's cheeks turned light pink, and suddenly Shido felt like it was something he didn't want to know.

"A-ah, if it's something private-"

"I don't mind, you know. And Rinne certainly won't mind either…"

Kurumi cut him off, and sent a glance to Rinne next to her, who nodded and turned to Shido.

"I don't mind. We were only talking about our last [date], after all."

"Eh?"

Rinne said that in such a casual tone that Shido believed he had misheard something.

"W, what did you just say?"

"We were talking about our last date."

It took a moment for Shido to process what Rinne just said.

"Eeehhhhhh?!"

Startled, Shido shouted in shock. The two Spirits giggled lightly in response, before speaking to each other.

"It's been a while since we last went into a date, right Kurumi?"

"Fufu. When did you become so bold, Rinne?"

The two spoke as if they were recalling a pleasant memory. Against his will, Shido's cheeks became red, even though it was not related to him.

Shaking, Shido pointed a finger at the two of them back-and-forth. "Y, y, you two went on a date!?"

"That depends on how do you define a [date] of course." Kurumi touched her lips with a finger.

Somehow, that gesture only made Shido's thoughts worse.

Rinne swung her hand to play it off. "Or to be exact, how you word it. Your sister defines a [date] as a [battle], no? Why couldn't we use the same term?"

It was then Shido remembered. Kotori did use that wordplay, the English word [date] was pronounced similarly to one alternate reading of the Kanji for [battle].

That meant, they were not actually dating… but recalling a battle they had before.

As Shido was recalling that fact however, Rinne turned her veiled face to Kurumi.

"Hee hee, you are right, Kurumi. Shido is so easy to tease! I can't believe he could be tricked like that."

"A gentleman knows how to please ladies, after all. However, Shido-san is a special case, this particular gentleman can even please others inadvertently."

"Y, you two…"

Shido wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth silent. If he said anything, these two would probably twist it against him.

But then, there was the sound of an automatic door opening.

"Shido-kun. Also, Tokisaki Kurumi and Sonogami Rinne."

The door behind Shido -the one leading to the cockpit of the aircraft- suddenly opened to reveal Kannazuki walking toward them. That prompted Shido to rise from his chair and turned around to see the blonde.

However, before he could say a thing, the 'Kurumi' clone was the one who responded to him first.

"Ara. Are we there yet?"

"Almost. I request all five- my apologies, all **four** of you to prepare yourself."

Shido raised a brow at the correction Kannazuki made. Counting Rio, there **was** five of them right there, excluding Kannazuki.

 _"I wonder why…?"_

 _"Maybe Papa's friends are watching Papa? Didn't Papa said that Papa doesn't want to tell the others about Rio yet?"_

 _"Oh yeah, I said that. So Kotori also wanted the same…"_

Feeling embarrassment from being remined about it by his own 'daughter,' Shido mentally wanted to kick himself. However, he brushed the thought aside for now.

Shido turned to the three Spirits in the room. Rinne, and two Kurumis.

He wanted to ask if they were ready, but he supposed that it was pointless to ask these two -Nightmare and Ruler Spirits- of all people, that question.

That fact didn't stop him, though.

"Are you ready? Rinne, and both of you?"

The three of them turned to meet his gaze.

The two Kurumis appeared surprised at his question, as if saying 'are you seriously asking us?' with their expression.

Rinne however, seemed to be pleased by his question.

"We are, thank you for your concern, Shido."

Her face was hidden, but Shido didn't need to see through that veil of hers to know that Rinne was smiling.

Smiling, Shido closed his eyes, testing his own resolve.

"Alright…"

 _"Rio, are you ready?"_

 _"Yes! Let's do this together, Papa!"_

As a tremendous amount of power flowed through his veins, Shido opened his eyes, now with a whitened pupil of a Spirit's.

" **[Aspect of the Sephiroth]! [Throne of Annihilation!]** "

And with that, his Spirit mana filled the room with light.

It gave him a familiar sense of strength, one that he could remember using several times-

* * *

"I wonder… how much longer do [We] have to wait?"

"Be patient, [Me]… you already killed one of [Us] to send her memory yesterday, right? Hold back your bloodlust."

"I know, but shouldn't Rinne and our original have arrived by now?"

"Do you think Ratatoskr will give in that easily to support us? You are all naive…"

And so it went. The exchange between the twelve, once-thirteen Kurumi clones that were sent to observe the Cage of Judgment.

Eleven of them were continuously talking all night near the sea surface, their sounds completely unimpeded by the waters due to their Astral Dress. They were probably trying to erase away the needless emotion called 'boredom'

All except for one, anyway.

 _"Humph. These Mes sure are noisy…"_

If she had her way, this Kurumi would have all the other clones alongside her killed.

They were observing one of DEM's most dangerous branch. How could they slack off by pointless chatters? They were ordered to kill another one of them immediately to report to the original if DEM made a suspicious move.

And yet, these eleven were slacking.

 _"Bunch of useless past selves… I would be happy to trade away these eleven for the Spirit who is locked there."_

Cage of Judgment.

As it name implied, it was designed to be the ultimate Cage for the DEM, designed to hold Spirits.

Constructed on an island in Pacific, it was similar in both purpose and design to the [Neryl Island], where Kurumi once invaded, to try and meet the Second Spirit, bearer of Rasiel… Honjou Nia.

It had two main difference, however.

First was, it was rumored to contain various top-secret projects that most DEM officers didn't even know the details about. Since her original used her Zafkiel to investigate, that meant it was no false memories, although the rumor itself could be fabricated.

 _"What kind of surprise is waiting for us there, I wonder? Is it related to the 'big plan' Westcott is having?"_

This Kurumi was curious, especially as she recalled Rinne's information she gave when she arrived in Tenguu City yesterday. However, she couldn't let that curiosity compromise her mission.

The second difference was, it was heavily defended.

It was obvious, simply from the giant Territory that surrounded the island, that was continuously active for 24 hours straight. There should be a large amount of solid defenses that couldn't be easily overrun with just numbers.

 _"Well… not like my original or Rinne could ever be stopped by anything."_

Plus, there was Ratatoskr to help them. This battle was as good as won already. Still, slacking off, until victory was certain, couldn't be tolerated.

Still, that thought made her even more curious. How would Ratatoskr help them?

Fraxinus was damaged, so they couldn't help with that. Maybe they could use the satellite cannon they utilized against Shido, but it was unlikely for them to use such trump cards, since using it against the DEM meant revealing their ace in the hole against their rival company.

 _"So the only choices left are helping us with Spirit power… hum?"_

Suddenly, all twelve of the Kurumis became silent. They sensed something in the distance, at the direction of the DEM Island.

After several moments of silence, they recognized it.

"This feeling…"

"This is a sign of Spirit."

"...From above the Island?"

"Let's get a closer look!"

With a single command, the twelve swam to the direction of the Island near the horizon.

As they went close enough, they immediately identified what the source of the Spirit sign was.

"That is!"

"Ara. Quite a surprise."

"Wow. Our original brought someone interesting!"

So they said. Some of them remained calm, some were pleasantly surprised, some were shocked.

It was because, they could see two people floating above the Territory of Cage of Judgment -yes, people- and the two people were someone they could recognize.

It was their original self, and-

"Yatogami… Tohka?"

* * *

Shido was shocked.

His body, his mind, his mana, his **everything** \- all felt different.

For an instant, when he shouted the name of the ability Rio demonstrated earlier- he felt like his body was reconfigured.

Not just transformed; it felt different to Natsumi's transformation ability. The change on his body, the change on his mind, all felt very vivid.

Because… it felt like Tohka.

Tohka's presence, Tohka's power- even Tohka's feelings. He felt like he had infused with all of those, like he had owned them himself.

When he opened his eyes, he realized why, he felt all of those.

"..."

Shido looked down on his body.

Gone was the body of a male high-schooler, the body he had was now a girl's.

'He' was clad in a strange dress that 'he' recognized. As 'he' examined 'his' body and moved 'his' head around, 'he' could feel 'his' long hair flowing behind 'his' back.

Yes, [Shido] was now [Tohka], complete with her Astral Dress, [Adonai Melek].

Strangely, 'he' didn't feel embarrassed. 'He' didn't even feel that any of this was unnatural. It felt like 'he' was supposed to be in this form.

"So this is how it feels…"

Even 'his' voice was hers, now.

 _"Do you feel anything unpleasant, Papa?"_

Only Rio's voice was the same before and after his transformation. Shido couldn't help but smile at that.

 _"Not at all, my daughter."_

As 'he' mentally answered Rio, the other people in the room spoke.

"...Impressive."

"Hihihi, how magnificent, Shido-san."

"How are you feeling with all that power, Shido?"

Kannazuki complimented him with hand claps, while Kurumi and Rinne sounded amused and awestruck respectively, seeing his current state.

Usually, Shido would thank them for such compliments. He would even tell them to praise Rio, instead. However-

"Is that so?"

…Shido could feel that he was not talking like himself.

Kannazuki didn't seem to pay attention to the way he acted, and opened the door of Hraesvelgr with a press of button on a remote in his hand.

"The Cage is just down there. Stop your descent as soon as you walked out of the helicopter. Don't forget about the plan, and here are the communicators for both of you."

Kannazuki handed Kurumi and Rinne the communicator he already had. Seeing this, the now raven-haired Spirit decided to exit the aircraft through the opened door.

Shido didn't feel any fear of falling at all- as soon as his feet could no longer step on something, he felt his power automatically acting up to keep him mid-air.

Yes, it was the feeling of a Spirit's power.

Then, Shido turned his sights to gaze upon on the land below him.

He was floating above a large island- more specifically, Shido was right above the Territory that surrounded the island like a dome.

The dome that was supposed to make the island invisible meant nothing for Shido's eyes now- it was a beautiful-looking island with nothing but forests and a beach that surrounded the island like a ring.

Seeing all of this, he smiled.

"Tohka… so this is how you view the world…"

"Shall we start, Shido-san?"

Behind him, Kurumi too stepped out of the invisible aircraft, and levitated herself a few meters away from Shido. For bystanders, she looked like she had appeared out of thin air- but he knew better.

Shido's thoughts told him to answer as he usually did, but for some reason, there was some other thought who told him not to reply like that.

It felt like hostility- the hostility Tohka had against Kurumi. It was not a strong one, but it felt… quite unpleasant for Shido.

In the end, all he could say was-

"Don't get in my way, Kurumi."

The Nightmare Spirit appeared surprised for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by a devious grin.

"Ara ara. Is that so? Then, show me your strength, [Tohka-san]."

Shido wanted to say that it was not [his name], but his mind told him otherwise. Not knowing what to do, he simply didn't reply.

Mentally worried, Shido asked Rio in his mind.

 _"Is this how it is supposed to work, Rio?"_

 _"Yes it is. Rio wants to apologize to Papa… but Papa's thoughts will be influenced by Tohka-san's now."_

Shido was a bit frightened that his mind would be influenced by something, but at the same time, he wasn't.

In this moment, [Shido] truly felt [Tohka] within him.

"Very well then-"

Shido answered both Kurumi and Rio at the same time with a single sentence, while calling out to his power.

"[Throne of Annihilation (Sandalphon)]!"

That instant, his -or rather, Tohka's- Spirit mana concentrated in his right hand, into the form of an Angel that he had grown used to, both as himself before… and he was now.

A wide blade glowing with light. With a handguard with intricate designs.

Usually Tohka pulled her sword from a throne she summoned, but Shido was able to summon it directly in his hand before. Now, he simply did what he had done as [Itsuka Shido], as [Yatogami Tohka].

Wielding the large sword as if it was as light as a feather, Shido raised Sandalphon high into the sky, and stared down his target with a piercing look that didn't belong to him, but rather the tyrannous king that sat on the Throne of Annihilation.

"Kurumi… prepare yourself. I am going to carve open your path."

* * *

 **How was it? Drop your thoughts in the reviews!**

 **If it feels unnatural, or something in this chapter is wrong, just say so! Changing things at this point is not easy, but not exactly hard either.**

 **I WILL try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, since this chapter is late, right? I am trying my best to catch up, so wait for me!**

 **And as always… thank you for following the development of Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	15. An Image of Material B

**A/N:** **Salutations!** **I am back! Although, far later than I want to admit…**

 **I dislike excuses, so I'll be straight to the point. These months are the last months of my semester, and therefore the amount of assignments and activities were numerous- reducing my time to work on this. And then there are the final exams… in the end, I cannot work at all.**

 **On top of that, I am also having an annoying nerve damage on my neck, which often cause episodic pain from time to time. To cure that, I'll have to follow some physical therapy for a month, give or take a few weeks.**

 **I wish I can say "Time to catch up to my neglected fic!" to make up for the lost time, but I think I will be slowing down until I recover. I am really, really sorry.**

 **Regardless, h** **ere is chapter 15; "An Image of** **Material B** **". It's** **a bit shorter than the last one, for the reasons I have said above. But… I'll make up for this. I promise!**

* * *

"HAAAAAA!"

Tohka's battle cry echoed through the air as Shido swung [Sandalphon] down into the dome-shaped [Territory] that caged the [Cage of Judgment].

The instant the sword made contact, the invisible wall was cracked open like it was made of glass. In the next moment, the shattered pieces of the Territory had faded out of existence.

With a single strike, Sandalphon had made a large hole in the dome, large enough for [Hraesvelgr] itself to pass through.

Shido knew this was not caused by the Territory's weakness; it was Tohka's massive strength that was simply too overwhelming for the defensive wall.

"Splendid, Tohka-san. Thank you for the path you have opened~"

The alluring voice of the Nightmare Spirit was heard from the communicator as the Spirit flew past him and through the hole.

"Huh."

[Shido] really felt uncomfortable when Kurumi called him by [that name]. But, the consciousness of [Tohka] inside him also made it feel… normal. The contradiction didn't make sense, but that was exactly what he was feeling.

" _What am I now? Am I Itsuka Shido? Or, am I Yatogami Tohka?"_

" _Don't worry! Papa is Papa. But, Rio can't deny that Papa is not being Papa completely right now…"_

As his 'daughter' lowered her mental voice in embarrassment, Shido couldn't help but mentally smile at how Rio managed to contradict herself.

His mind felt like a mess. Two identities were inside his mind now -three if he counted Rio, but she was consciously separate from the other two- one belonged to himself, the other belonged to Tohka.

It was confusing, but slowly Shido began to understand. When he consciously exerted effort, this body was his own to control. Shido could tell by now, probably because his mind had 'adapted' of sorts to the essence of someone else.

When he was not focused though, the body moved and acted on its own- with Tohka's thoughts as its guide. Just now while he was not paying attention, Tohka had already expressed her hostility and distrust against Kurumi.

" _If that's how it works…"_

Shido let out a breath, calming his thoughts down.

"…"

The human with Spirit powers emptied his mind, allowing the [Princess] Spirit's thoughts and instincts to fill him.

Not even a few seconds had passed when Shido could sense Tohka influencing him. As if she already knew what to do, the Princess Spirit flew through the massive hole on the Territory dome to catch up with Kurumi.

Inside the dome, Tohka quickly spotted Kurumi. The gothic Spirit was flying straight upon the ground, far below her own altitude.

"...Hm?"

The Princess narrowed her eyes as she noticed that dozens of mechanical-looking holes suddenly opened on the surface of the ground, widespread across the forest.

Soon after, numerous missiles were launched out of them into the air, going after Kurumi.

Anti-air missiles installation. Shido recalled Kannazuki naming them as such during their strategy discussion earlier.

Tohka could never remember the complicated name though, she only remembered it because it was the most frequent projectiles she had ever seen.

"Why can't they ever learn…"

Tohka muttered to herself with a frown as the Spirit quickly stopped mid-air, and prepared Sandalphon with both of her hands at her side.

Charging the Angel with mana, Tohka aimed carefully so as to avoid hitting Kurumi from above, before a whisper escaped her mouth.

"Don't get hit, Kurumi."

Hearing the warning through the communicator, Kurumi immediately came to a halt and turned her body to gaze back on the Spirit above her.

Tohka quickly swung Sandalphon through the air with a large arc and released a large amount of glowing purple waves past Kurumi. The attack sliced most of the missiles in half, causing them to explode before getting anywhere to harm the Nightmare Spirit.

Eyeing the explosion below her, Kurumi shrugged.

"Fufufu… worried about hitting me? You have incredible power and unparalelled finesse, but no confidence in your own strength?"

Tohka frowned at the mocking tone that Kurumi used. Wasn't she grateful at all?

"I don't want to accidentally hurt you, okay? Be thankful a little!"

"Oh, I am thankful. There is no need to question my gratitude to you, Tohka-san."

Unable to discern whether it was sarcasm or genuine from the cheerful tone, Tohka resisted the urge to frown even more than she already did.

Dropping the conversation, the Nightmare Spirit comfortably descended upon an area of the surface ground that was not covered by the trees.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Kurumi's shadow grew in size and her body slowly sunk into the pool of darkness made from her powers.

"Just as planned, I will search underground for any hidden facilities."

Tohka nodded silently as Kurumi phased into the ground, disappearing along with her shadow.

" _Good luck, Kurumi."_

Watching from inside his mind, Shido mentally wished for Kurumi's safety.

Soon after the Nightmare Spirit disappeared, Tohka turned their shared gaze from the ground where Kurumi phased into to the vast forest that filled the island as far as the eye could see.

It really was a large island. The Princess Spirit was in a lower altitude than earlier when outside the dome, so her current view of the island had extended to reach the horizon.

"..."

However, both Shido and Tohka were aware that it was no time to let their guards down. Familiar presences could be felt from the forest below them.

They were humanoid robotic dolls with oversized arms, legs that were the reverse of human anatomy, and equipped with Combat Realizers. Called the [Bandersnatches], four or five dozens of them were crawling out from the missile launchers, and flew upwards to gain altitude.

"Those again…"

Recognizing them, Tohka readied the sword in her right hand-

"Disappear!"

-and **killed the distance** between her and the Bandersnatches below her.

In an instant, Tohka vertically bisected the first doll she approached. The movement was so fast that it produced a shockwave that devastated the forest around them. The trees and the dolls in its radius were either completely destroyed or blown away.

The Princess then turned around and swung her Sandalphon at the other group of dolls behind her, but they reacted quick enough to break their formation into two smaller groups to avoid the slash.

Tohka frowned.

"Persistent."

The two separate groups then moved through the air to flank Tohka from her left and right respectively, before returning fire with the laser cannons on their bodies.

Closing her eyes, Tohka dodged the storm of lasers by kicking the air below her feet, propelling her back into the sky high.

It was then, Shido decided to stop sitting at the back of his mind.

" _I suppose it's time to put Kannazuki-san's tips into use…"_

The vice-commander of Ratatoskr told him that the intelligence of these dolls were not very bright as their reactions to attacks were predictable. Even someone like Shido, who was not very experienced in combat, should be able to outsmart them.

With that in mind, Shido gripped the Angelic Sword in his right hand tight as he took over.

"How about this!

Shido pointed Sandalphon to the land below him as once again mana filled the blade.

He quickly swung the sword four times in a row; aiming not at the dolls but at the forest surrounding them.

The purple waves released from Sandalphon instantly demolished the trees, and the resulting explosions that surrounded the dolls caused them to react by clustering back together.

Not missing this chance, Shido quickly dropped his altitude to close the distance.

"I got you!"

As soon as he was close enough, Shido directed his left hand at his targets.

He then produced Tohka's signature barrier, but with a different purpose; instead of surrounding himself, the resulting mana dome surrounded the dolls.

It was an offensive use of the barrier Tohka usually used; Shido recalled that back when they first met, the Princess used this to stop and destroy a bunch of missiles mid-air. He simply copied the technique and spent more power into it.

Despite the protection their Territories had, the movements of the dolls stopped immediately once Shido's barrier surrounded them, as if they were held by invisible hands.

Shido proceeded to squeeze his hand shut, and simultaneously the barrier compressed the dolls inside of it with immense force. Their Territories immediately cracked, and even their bodies crumped with a metallic crunch before violently exploding.

"Phew…"

As he watched the Bandersnatches exploded into oblivion, Shido let out a sigh as he turned his sights into the surrounding forest once again, particularly the missile launchers.

It seemed that the DEM didn't expect their first squadron to be annihilated as quickly as it was, as there was no immediate follow-up attack.

Shido let out a relaxed sigh. He was acutely aware othat he was closer to the ground now, and thus more vulnerable to surprise attack, but for some reason he didn't mind that at all.

Maybe it was because Shido really didn't fear an attack at all.

" _I should use this as a chance for communication…"_

"Kannazuki-san. How are the others?"

Although it came out a bit more stern -as expected of Tohka's voice- than he intended to, Shido got the message across.

"Hmm. I suppose it's time for a status report."

Shido agreed with Kannazuki on that regard.

"Fine by me.

"I understand."

"Hihihi, sure."

Rinne and Kurumi seemed just as relaxed as himself, if their casual tones were any indication.

Shido decided to begin the report.

"I have destroyed DEM's first line of defense, currently on guard."

"I see. Next."

"Ruler reporting. I am currently still in the process of destroying the underwater Realizers that empower the island's barrier. I estimate I will be done in four to five more minutes as I'm circling the island."

"A little longer than planned, but that's fine. Next."

"Nightmare here. The DEM facility is indeed located underground, two miles under the surface of the island, to be exact."

"Just as predicted. Your status?"

"I have called my [City of Devouring Time] and spread my clones to attack as many locations as possible. However, the word 'underground facility' isn't fit to describe this place."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"This is no mere facility. It's a fortress with the size of a small city. I must say that I didn't expect it to be this massive."

Kurumi's tone seemed to be more impressed than annoyed.

Shido was baffled by the comment.

" _Fortress? And city-sized, at that?"_

How did DEM manage to build something of that size underground? And in a small island in the middle of ocean, at that?

"I see… I assume you are unable to stop the DEM from retaliating to our invasion?"

"Regretfully, yes."

It was a shame, indeed. If the facility was too large for Kurumi's City of Devouring Time to cover, then the DEM could respond.

" _Well… I suppose I really have to fight my way through."_

Shido steeled his resolve. He really didn't want to fight if he could, but this was to save the Spirit that was locked in this island courtesy of DEM.

And to save her, Shido would do **anything**.

As Shido was mentally preparing himself, Kannazuki let out a sigh.

"Then, we have no choice but to press our assault. Shido-kun, prepare for a switch."

"Heh, about time."

"Understood."

Kurumi let out a chuckle while Shido nodded in understanding.

He observed his surroundings once again. It seemed that there was little time left- he could sense the presence of more Bandersnatches from the forest.

Who proceeded to fire their laser cannons at him from behind.

"Che."

Tohka's thoughts instantly took over his body; the Princess Spirit reacted by gracefully twirling mid-air into her left, dodging the laser fire completely.

She then immediately retaliated by swinging her left arm -fully engulfed with mana- and sent a streak of purple light back at the dolls, destroying them along with several trees.

" _That… was close…"_

Realizing that the time for idle chat was over, Shido focused his thoughts once again to take control of his body.

" _Rio, you know who to change into next, right?"_

" _Of course, Papa!"_

His confidence in their combined strength grew.

But before he could transform, something had to be done. Shido needed to distract those dolls.

"If that's the case, I will-!"

Shido deactivated the Spirit's flight power and landed on the ground through the trees, before focusing mana on his feet.

"Sandalphon!"

Stomping one of his feet into the ground, Shido called out the name of Tohka's Angel, but he wasn't referring to the sword in his hand.

Responding to his summon, the ground below him rose and a large throne appeared from there.

"[Sword of the End (Halvanhelev)]!"

He then called it.

The true form of Sandalphon, Tohka's most powerful sword.

Several cracks appeared on the throne, before it shattered to countless pieces- the fragments then merged together with the sword in his hand, and formed a gigantic blade.

Its sheer size made it seem impossible to lift, let alone wield. However with Tohka's strength- Shido lightly shook the sword a bit.

Immense ammount of Spirit mana could be felt gathering within the massive sword, to a point where even the robotic enemy dolls seemed to sense it and decided to scatter away, as if aware of the imminient terror that would come upon them.

Shido paid them no heed as he kicked the ground and flew up straight into the sky, before slowly lifting up the massive sword over his head.

"Begone!"

Shouting with Tohka's grace and power, Shido swung down the Sword of the End upon the land.

* * *

"Kotori, what is the meaning of this?"

In the control room of Fraxinus, Tohka finally called out Kotori's name with a demanding -and confused- tone.

"How could Shido use my [Halvanhelev]? What is happening to Shido?"

It was the first time Kotori ever heard Tohka sounded so surprised. The disbelief in her tone and expression was so obvious that Kotori wanted to take photo of it..

The screen was displaying the ongoing battle in the Cage of Judgment through the several flying camera units that Kannazuki controlled from the Hraesvelgr. The cameras followed all three Spirits on their side, Shido, Kurumi, and Rinne.

Although from the moment Shido transformed, Mana and the other Spirits had been focusing on the Spirit he had become.

" _Probably because of the disturbingly Tohka-like behavior that he is displaying."_

Kotori hoped that they would simply assume Shido was simply using [Witch of Forgery (Haniel)] to copy Tohka's appearance and Angel. That wouldn't need her to explain anything.

But Shido's usage of Halvanhelev sealed the deal- someone finally questioned her, and it was Tohka, the one who probably deserved an explanation the most.

" _What a fine mess…"_

It was not that Kotori wanted to hide things from them… but the Commander wasn't sure that would be a good idea.

Kotori had just explained to them a few minutes ago about the deal Ratatoskr established with Nightmare and Ruler, and the ridiculous request from the two of them had shocked the Spirits bad enough.

While most of the sealed Spirits thankfully didn't really mind risking themselves to meet them, three Spirits in particular didn't seem to take the news well.

" _And far worse than I expected."_

Tohka nearly shrieked in terror and Yoshino looked like she was about to cry. Even Origami paled when Kotori informed them that they all were going to meet Kurumi and Rinne face-to-face, later.

It was rather obvious why. The Ruler Spirit- Sonogami Rinne, certainly caused this one way or another.

Seeing this, Kotori didn't want to risk their stability further by explaining about Shido's newfound powers- which would inevitably bring Rio to the topic, who was very similar -in terms of appearance, at least- to Rinne. The [Irregular] Spirit should be hidden until later.

With all of these in mind, Kotori cleared her throat.

"I am sorry, Tohka. But I don't really understand what is happening to Shido, either. We discovered that Shido suddenly have an unusually high control over his mana this morning, after he woke up."

"What?!"

"Is he overheating again!?

Kotori's answer made Mana and the Spirits tense up in alarm. They were reminded of the **disaster** that happened to Shido a few months ago.

The Commander wanted to kick herself- she should have worded that better.

"No, not like that. Our Spirit Paths remain normal, which is the abnormal thing. During the previous case, our Spirit Paths shrunk, and so the mana flow stopped on Shido."

Kotori paused to look into the faces of the others. Most of them looked surprised, and were paying attention to her without asking what she meant.

The Commander took that as a sign to continue.

"However, this time, the mana flow stopped without any change observed in our Spirit Paths. It also doesn't cause any damage on his body."

Kotori tried to explain that as simple as possible without giving away the true cause of the phenomenon.

The mana flow actually stopped on Shido because Rio could direct the Spirit mana. It also didn't cause any damage on Shido's body because the tremendous amount of mana was stored in Rio instead- but the others didn't need to know that yet.

At this explanation, Origami frowned.

"Wait. So you sent Shido off without full knowledge of his current condition? And into a battle at that?"

Origami said that with a unexpectedly venomous tone. She was clearly upset that Ratatoskr would allow him do such a reckless thing. But Kotori was prepared for the accusation.

However, before the redhead could say anything-

"No, that's understandable. It's something that I would do, if I was in Ni-sama's position, as well."

Mana suddenly interjected to defend her, surprising Kotori. The blue-haired girl then continued.

"Nightmare and Ruler offered us a Spirit to rescue. That's something Ni-sama won't pass up, even if he has to grind his body into dust for it. I am sure he said something about taking advantage of his current condition, right?"

As gentle brown orbs met fiery red, Kotori had to admit that Mana was thoroughly correct.

No matter how much Kotori would like to say otherwise, Shido wanted to save this captured Spirit.

And this time, Kotori couldn't even say that it was stupid for him to be reckless- since Rio was there to back him up, and she was more than powerful enough to protect him.

Kotori smiled, despite herself.

"Yes, that is right. He said that he couldn't possibly pass up an opportunity like this."

Hearing Kotori's answer, Origami appeared unsatisfied, but she kept silent.

"But… Shido-san will be fine, right?"

It was Yoshino who asked.

Her voice was soft like usual, but Kotori could almost taste the concern in her voice. The little girl was clearly worried for Shido, more so than the others.

Kotori couldn't help but smile sympathetically at Yoshino, but before the Commander could even speak, she was once again interrupted.

"Shido will be fine. No need to worry!"

Tohka smiled confidently as she made the declaration, prompting not just Yoshino but the others to turn their attention to her as well.

"Shido isn't alone fighting there. We are his strength. We are always protecting him. Right now, he is the safest he is ever be."

Tohka said that with such a calm and assuring tone, almost like she was before Shido sealed her.

That surprised everyone present, Kotori included. Nobody expected the normally bubbly and airheaded girl to be that confident, and her words felt powerful as a result.

"...You are right. There is no need to worry about him."

Kotori smiled as she turned her gaze back to the screen.

Shido had unleashed Halvanhelev to the land, and it was followed by a massive explosion of pure power that wiped out the forest within the radius of roughly two or three kilometers around the Spirit, perhaps more.

The after-wind of the attack had kicked up massive amounts of dust into the air and over the forest, limiting the vision of the flying camera units that were recording the scene. Kotori couldn't even find the position of the Spirit that caused all of this.

" _Where is Shido?"_

* * *

"Phew…"

Shido honestly didn't expect his attack to be **this** destructive.

Floating a few meters above the ruined land that was caused by the final form of Sandalphon, Shido was honestly speechless.

" _I wanted a distraction… but it seems that I overdid it."_

Shido recalled how Inverse Tohka used her version of Halvanhelev, and annihilated more than a city block.

Shido couldn't really tell if the regular Tohka's version was any weaker- as far as he could see, the land was totally devastated, and he couldn't even see that far because of the dust storm that his attack had caused.

" _So this is what a Spirit can do if they ever pull out all the stops…"_

The sheer amount of destruction caused Shido to mentally shiver. It reminded him of that day- 10th of April last year. The ruined scenery around was probably what Tenguu City would have become if he didn't stop Tohka that day.

For some reason, Tohka's consciousness was calm as their shared body moved to destroy. That frightened Shido slightly, but then again, she was probably used to seeing this.

He shook his head to brush the thought aside. Shido had no time to be mesmerized now. It was time to switch into [her]…

" _Let's do this again, Rio!"_

" _Rio is always ready, anytime!"_

The immense power locked within him were shaken. As if it was waiting to be released, light enveloped his body.

" **[Aspect of the Sephiroth]** , **[Army-Breaking Songstress]**!"

The familiar sense of reconfiguration returned. Both his body and his mind felt like they were rewritten at its very core, something that Shido knew he wouldn't get used to feeling anytime soon.

All that felt like Tohka within him were gone.

But once again- he felt like someone else.

Maybe because it was the second time Shido went through this, but now he could sense the 'changes' in him more vividly than before.

Tohka's presence inside him before was… pleasant, despite the confusion it initially caused. How could he describe it? It felt like Tohka. Warm, energetic, and welcoming.

But now, it was slightly different; it was also warm and energetic, but it wasn't exactly welcoming- rather, it felt tempting and alluring, as if trying to entice him into drowning into it.

It definitely felt like Miku.

As he opened his eyes, Shido unconsciously turned his head down to check his new form.

A tall, long-haired girl with a voluptous figure, clad in a dazzling dress in yellow, blue and white.

Shido would normally be shocked half to death if his body transformed into someone like this- but just like before, it only felt natural.

So much, that Miku's thoughts immediately surfaced against his will.

"Ah~ I like this feeling! I can't believe I have darling's body all for myself!"

Speaking with an alluring, sing-song voice that definitely belonged to a singer, the indigo-haired Spirit proceeded to hold herself in excitement.

Shido quickly focused his thoughts, and stopped the Spirit from making any other embarrassing statement.

" _Wow. I never expected her to comment about that."_

" _Hee hee, Papa's friends are strange!"_

It seemed that Miku felt really pleased by this. The reason Tohka didn't manage to comment before was probably because Shido was a lot more focused during his first transformation, and that she was busy fighting.

Shido became worried- Miku's powers didn't need much thinking on the fly, so he thought he could sit back and allow the Diva to let loose. But recalling Miku's personality, he was more than a bit hesitant.

" _Ah! I shouldn't be stopped by something like this!"_

It was a little setback, but he didn't have much time to stand idly and think about it. Miku could embarrass him all she wanted now; for now he had to save the Spirit-

"Ara. Is that the idol's voice?"

His thought process coming into a halt, Shido widened his eyes in surprise as Kurumi's voice was suddenly heard from the ground, right below his feet.

It was followed by a sudden growth of the darkness that was Shido's shadow, and without a warning- Kurumi's head emerged from it.

Not expecting the surreal approach, Shido was unable to stop Miku's thoughts from speaking her mind once again.

"Y-you!?"

The Diva reflexively took a few steps back, prompting to keep a perceived safe distance from the Nightmare Spirit.

The latter seemed to be amused by the former's response, as her lips curved into a smirk.

"Fufufu… what's with the undignified reaction? I thought you were above such things, Miku-san?"

Kurumi snickered as her body fully manifested from the shadowy portal, standing before Miku.

"Are you ready to join me for a performance? I may not be a fan of your songs, but the same cannot be said for your fans down below, am I right?"

The gothic Spirit proceeded to bow her head in an exaggerated manner; it was a politeful tone, but both Shido and Miku couldn't interpret that as anything but insulting.

Knowing this, Miku suppressed a frown from forming on her face. She was not going to dignify the mockery with a response, but she wouldn't back down a challenge!

"...Humph."

Instead, after regaining her composure, the Diva huffed haughtily befitting her code-name.

"I don't need you to remind me that. In fact, my next performance might just change your mind about my music."

Kurumi's smile grew.

"I'm looking forward into that."

"Eh?!"

Before Miku or Shido could even think, Kurumi grabbed Miku's arm with an iron grip.

"Let us waste no time; your fans are waiting."

"Wa, wa, waiiiiittttttt!"

Miku's pleas were heard by none as both of them sank into the pool of darkness at a speed she never felt before.

* * *

It wasn't the first time for Shido and Miku to be swallowed by Kurumi's shadows; in fact, both of them were forcefully absorbed into her shadow by several Kurumi clones back then during the Tenou Festival.

However, it certainly didn't help them to get used to it. Kurumi's forceful tug only made the Diva's arm ache more than was necessary.

By the time Miku could see something other than a sea of darkness, the light blinded her vision for a moment. She was surely dragged through the sea of darkness for more than a few minutes.

"Oww… where am I…?"

Blinking a few times, Miku was finally able to regain her vision.

It took her a few glances to recognize where she was; she seemed to be in the middle of a very long and quite large hallway.

It was probably twice as large as the hallways in Miku's own mansion, and it had more lights on the ceiling than she expected for an underground passage.

There were several human bodies lying around. Judging from their uniform, they seemed to be DEM officers.

The Diva was a little alarmed seeing that, but considering the heavy atmosphere she felt and the fact that the hallway was dim despite the lights being on, the people were probably unconscious from Kurumi's City of Devouring Time.

It meant that she and Kurumi were beside themselves, in a darkened, quiet hallway filled with human bodies. The thought made Miku shiver.

Apparently realizing that Miku had gotten used to the light, Kurumi let out a chuckle before speaking.

"Hihihi, was the trip a little rough?"

Miku couldn't believe that was a serious question.

"Are you joking with me?! You don't have to pull me in like I am some lost child!"

Not having the patience with Kurumi's antics, the Diva yelled angrily as she pulled her arm off Kurumi's hand.

The Nightmare Spirit in question seemed to be even more amused- Kurumi merely smiled as her signature flintlock and musket were flung from her shadow into her hand.

"Time will tell about it. Anyway, should we start the performance? Preferably, I would like to hear the one that could increase the combat strength of my clones."

The idol halted her outburst. Kurumi was right. It was no time to be debating with this life-shortening demon.

She just recalled about the advantage that her sound-based powers had underground- her [voice] would echo, and reach much farther than normal. More so, in this kind of facility, there must be speakers for the times of emergency.

Miku had to prepare her [Song of Commandment (Solo)] and [Song of Advance (March)].

It would leave herself vulnerable, but if the Nightmare Spirit was with her, she could leave the defense to Kurumi.

Calming down and focusing the mana that had already waited to be unleashed within her voice, Miku approached one of the female officers that were lying around, and whispered to her ear an order that compelled both absolute obedience and the strength to do so.

"[Wake up]."

Almost immediately, the woman's body twitched. Before long, the woman's eyes gradually opened as if she just woke up from a deep slumber.

"..U..gh."

"Come on~ you don't want to keep me waiting, do you?"

Giving the half-conscious officer with another dose of [voice] that carried both her Solo and her March, the woman instantly rose to her feet, her expression full of energy.

"Y-yes! Onee-sama!"

Miku smiled bewitchingly at the officer.

"Good girl. Now, please tell me where is the room that controls the speakers for emergency."

"Um, there are a lot of rooms like that… the closest one from here is in the weapons hangar, at the end of this hallway."

The officer pointed at the direction behind Miku.

"Fufu. Honest girls are the best."

Smiling, Miku turned to Kurumi.

"You heard her, Kurumi. Let's go."

The Nightmare Spirit nodded before the two Spirits activated their flight powers and made their way through the hallway.

* * *

"Hum… so they attacked the Cage of Judgment, eh?"

The director of DEM, Isaac Westcott, smirked as he heard the news he just heard.

Two Spirits that were identified as [Princess] and [Nightmare] had invaded Cage of Judgment.

This was a pleasant surprise.

"What should we do, sir?"

A calm, almost robotic voice came from the interphone on his office table.

It belonged to Artemisia Bell Ashcroft, the Wizard who held the title Adeptus 2, which signified that she was the second strongest Wizard of DEM.

"Nothing's changed, Artemisia. Continue observing the invasion and refrain from intervening."

"Understood."

Satisfied with the answer, Westcott then leaned on his chair comfortably, as he began contemplating the opposition's moves.

All of his predictions were correct.

[Ruler] was indeed a pawn in [that woman]'s 'game.' The new Spirit probably didn't have a clue that her arrival was orchestrated by her.

And the purpose of sending Ruler to this city was… to retrieve her **other** pawn.

[ **Material B** ].

The Spirit that was found four years ago had many mysteries that even Westcott couldn't solve. The director didn't believe it at first, he knew about the Spirits more than anyone in this world, with very few exceptions.

Before he obtained the all-knowing Demon King, Westcott was always curious about Material B. He thought, once he had [Beelzebub] in his body, he would be able to unsolve the mystery regarding the Spirit at once.

To his surprise though, not even the Demon King could answer him. Even before the paradox of [Sister]'s [Rasiel] restricted his omniscience, all information regarding Material B were utterly incomprehensible.

He immediately understood why; Material B was a pawn, and she belonged to someone who had a hand behind everything.

And just yesterday, another Spirit whom Beelzebub could sense but not give information about appeared. Or in short, another pawn.

Westcott put the two together, and it became obvious. That woman sent Ruler to this city, in order to retrieve Material B which had been in DEM's hands since four years ago.

He had prepared to counter this, of course. But-

" _That woman is really adept at what she does. I am impressed."_

Westcott hadn't expected Nightmare to attack Cage of Judgment instead. On top of that, Princess - in other words, the Ratatoskr - was helping her.

This was outside of his calculations. How could Ruler gather them together like this? Did this Spirit had some sort of personal connection with both the Spirit of Time and the Ratatoskr?

More importantly, Princess had lost her powers to Itsuka Shido. In the previous encounter two weeks ago, the power container of the Spirits had indeed displayed improvement in his ability to command Spirit powers, but it was nowhere near perfect.

But just now, Artemisia had reported that Princess had displayed a level of destruction that could only be achieved by a fully-powered Spirit. How could Itsuka Shido perfect his control of Spirit powers in such a short time?

It was the same as four years ago, when he was examining Material B for the first time.

" _...I am missing a piece of information. I suppose it's time I should stop playing around."_

Westcott was excited. **Really** excited. The 'game' had just begun, and the situation was not favorable for him.

It made him **happy**.

Westcott rose from his chair.

"I must visit Elliot soon… I am sure he would appreciate a chance to play in this game, as well."

* * *

 **And… that's it! Thank you for reading!**

 **As always, review if you have anything in your mind that you would want me to know. If there was anything strange, I can simply edit it. There are many possibilities ahead, anyway~**

 **Thank you for following the development of Alternate Reincarnation so far!**


	16. An Angelic Date

**A/N:** **Hello again! I am back once again!**

 **Sorry, I have left this fic on hiatus for so long. Some of you might notice that I have been uploading new fics (for Hyperdimension Neptunia and War Academy City Asterisk in case you wonder) and updating for my other less important ones, even though I am in a "recovery"**

 **I don't mean to abandon this, but after recovering and getting out of the hospital, I was out of touch, thanks to college zapping my free time with assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities. Heck, even in this "holiday" I still have work to do, guiding exchange students by becoming their Buddies and making sure they enjoy their stay in my country.**

 **So, I wrote those "Side" fics as a warm up for this, my "Main" fic. But it turns out, I am plagued by another internal doubt, which I would explain at the end of this chapter.**

 **But enough with my sorry excuses! However, before I start, do you notice the change of the cover picture of this story? That it is now a drawing?**

 **It will be important later, so you might want to pay attention to it. I will explain it later, as well!**

 **Now, let's begin Chapter 16, "An Angelic Date"**

* * *

"Is this it? Is this the hangar?"

Miku - or rather, Shido who had taken her form using Rio's [Aspect of the Sephiroth] - voiced her question as she crossed her arms against her chest, all while calmly stepping into the hangar in question.

Watching from within their shared body, Shido was almost certain it was indeed the place.

The weapons hangar was huge, almost like an underground chamber in video games. Shido was no expert in math, but he could grossly estimate that it was as large as the warehouse where [Ratatoskr] was hiding [Fraxinus].

Speaking of the airship, the walls and the ceilings of this place looked quite similar in design to the insides of Fraxinus as well, only much larger. It certainly could store a huge number of weapons.

It was indeed rather odd that the hangar was almost empty; a few [DEM] officers were lying around unconscious courtesy of Kurumi's City of Devouring Time, but the number seemed disproportionately small in comparison to the size of the hangar.

Shido and Miku could agree that it was unnerving.

"It's empty. Is a hangar supposed to be this clean?"

"It isn't empty at all. You have a very poor self-preservation instinct, Miku-san."

Casually walking past Miku, Kurumi spoke with a mocking tone without even glancing at her.

The songstress was irked, but before she could even retort, the goth girl continued.

"Come out, [Mes]"

Almost immediately as she said that, a mind-boggling amount of dark portals appeared on the floor and the walls; and from each of them, a number of [Kurumis] emerged.

Miku and Shido couldn't help but to physically and mentally gulp. Neither of them had sensed the Kurumis hiding within the floor and the walls.

In retrospect, Kurumi was probably right - as much as Miku hated to admit it - their sense of self-preservation were really bad. Both Shido and Miku knew Kurumi could do this, and yet they were not expecting it.

There were so many Kurumis in the room now; Miku didn't even bother to count. Their number was probably approaching a hundred, if not more.

"Fufu, do not forget, [I] am everywhere. And, the one who emptied this place was probably you, with your stunt earlier in the surface."

The Diva raised her brows.

The meaning of those words were not lost on her; the [Bandersnacthes] in the surface probably came from this place, considering this hangar was probably the closest to the ground level.

However, the one who destroyed them was-

"You mean [Tohka-chan], Kurumi."

Miku noticed as she corrected Kurumi, the Nightmare Spirit widened her eyes for a second, before smiling.

"Ara, yes indeed. It was [Tohka-san], not you."

She turned to the groups of Kurumis that had crowded the room.

"As for [our] part… barricade every entrance to this place. Allow no intruder to enter without permission."

Kurumi ordered with a commanding tone before dismissing them.

"Fufu, mission acknowledged."

"So, we will be security officers instead of hunters? That's a shame."

"We will be forced to listen to that little idol? Tch, this is going to be a long day."

The Kurumis responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some were excited, while the majority seemed to be disheartened.

However, Miku didn't miss the insult that was thrown her way.

"Wh… what did you say!? Which one of you said that?!"

Miku yelled to the departing clones of Kurumi, however, not one of them acknowledged her frustration before they phased back into the floors and walls.

It took Miku a few moments before realizing that she was ignored.

"H-hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Kihihi. They only listen to me. Don't waste your breath, Miku-san."

Hearing the obviously amused tone from yet another Kurumi - which Miku didn't even know whether she was the original one or not - only made the idol's patience thinning further.

However, she held herself from screaming in frustration. Her [voice] would respond to that, and as annoyed as she was, she didn't want to harm Kurumi with her powers.

With a deep breath, Miku calmed herself down.

"Forget it. Let's just find the speaker! It should be here!"

"Indeed. It's right there…"

Kurumi raised her hand and pointed to a window positioned high in the walls, about half the height of the entire hangar.

A normal human wouldn't be able to see what was inside, but Miku's enhanced senses were able to discern what was inside the window; a room with a few computers, quite similar to Fraxinus' control room.

"Miku-san, I suppose you should stay where you are. I shall prepare the equipment and backstage for your performance."

Kurumi curtsied with a smile, before her own shadow expanded in size to become a portal and her body slowly submerged into it.

"Amuse me with your grace, Diva."

Was Kurumi's parting words, before she disappeared into the floor.

Miku couldn't help but smile at that challenge.

"Oh, I will do more than just amuse you."

The songstress Spirit closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep breath to calm her nerves.

To think, Miku would do a performance with Shido's body.

It was probably one of many things she didn't knew she need to do with her darling.

As her Spirit mana focused to her throat, Miku opened her mouth.

"[Gabriel]!"

That next instant, round ripples expanded on the floor, with her as the center.

As loyal as ever, her Angel manifested behind her; a gigantic pipe organ that served as the true manifestation of her power over sounds.

Smiling in satisfaction as her preparation was complete, Miku turned her gaze to the control room where Kurumi was going.

Seeing the goth girl was already there, she decided to throw in a joke as a payback for earlier.

"Assistant! Are the preparations complete?"

All of a sudden, Miku could heard a loud, unnerving, yet heartily cheerful giggle that seemed to come from all directions within the room; a sign that the speakers had been turned on.

"Fufu, yes. Now then, shall we begin?"

Thanks to the speakers, Kurumi's voice was booming inside the large chamber; if Miku wasn't resistant to sound-based attacks she was sure her ears would be ringing.

No doubt, her [voice] would be amplified several times like this across this whole base.

"Alright! Show time!"

Swinging her right hand from left to right, Miku materialized the keyboard of Gabriel, made of pure, concentrated mana.

"Sing with me, oh my dear Angel! We will perform a dual performance today!"

Miku spread her fingers, and brought them down on the keyboard with a force that matched her excitement, ready to play the melody that would sway hearts and empower souls.

"Mesmerize my audience, [Solo]! Be their strength, [March]!"

* * *

"...Ara?"

Surprised by an echoing sound in the distance, Kurumi halted herself.

"Is this… the idol's performance?"

To say she was surprised was an understatement. She had been exposed to the Spirit of Sound's brainwashing music before, and she didn't like it one bit.

Beautiful as it was, the sound carried a supernatural essence that amplified the request of its owner several times over. Such a performance was not enough to sway Kurumi - clones or not - but the way it tried to burrow into her very mind was anything but pleasant.

This time however, the mental-assaulting feeling was overwhelmed by a different sensation; something that calmed both her mind and the tension she had been feeling since engaging in battle.

It even eased Kurumi's hunger for Spirit mana, because the [voice] fed her with it to increase her strength.

Kurumi could even call it… comforting.

" _So… this is March, the song of empowerment."_

The Nightmare Spirit smiled. Even though she was not in a room with a speaker, the voice coming from the adjacent rooms were powerful enough to reach her ears anyway, and it still had an effect this strong.

Kurumi could only imagine how it would feel like if she was in the same room as the performer, but this was no time to imagine such fantasy.

" _My original would never admit that Miku-san's performance is actually good, anyway."_

Plus, she had things to do now.

"Now then, where was I?"

Without glancing, Kurumi aimed her flintlock next to her head, and fired a bullet at something behind her.

There was a mechanical screech, but it was brought into a halt.

Kurumi didn't need to see the remains of the [Bandersnatch] to know that the mechanical doll had been rendered quiet. Instead, Kurumi continued to the other dolls in the room.

"Who is next?"

Oh, how she wished that these robots could feel **fear**.

* * *

"Phew."

Rinne let out a relaxed sigh as she allowed the razor-sharp, constantly vibrating strings of her Angelic Lyre to destroy the last [Realizer] generator that was powering up the [Territory] dome erected around the island.

It was the one the Ruler had saved for last, which was suspiciously planted openly on the beach on the southern part of the island.

She had expected traps to activate as soon as she destroyed it - like the ones under the water earlier - but as it turned out, nothing happened, except the Territory dome that was protecting the island and keeping it out of sight faded out of existence.

" _Well, good for me."_

It was then, Kannazuki's voice was heard from the communicator in her left ear.

"...I see that the barrier is taken down. Good work, Ruler."

"It's nothing. What about Shido and Kurumi's condition?"

Rinne knew that neither Shido nor Kurumi would not be hurt that easily, but that didn't stop her from asking out of concern.

"Shido has started Gabriel's performance to support our troops, so I have to cut Shido's line due to the extreme noise. However, Kurumi's line is still functional. Nightmare, your status?"

There was a clicking sound before Kurumi's voice was heard speaking, more serious than she normally was.

"My clones are keeping the [Bandersnatches] busy as we speak, and as for myself, I can infer that I am about to enter the lower half of this facility."

"How did you come into that conclusion?"

"Miku-san's performance allows the humans I have neutralized to regain consciousness, which allows me to interrogate them about the facility."

"So things have been going in our favor thus far. Did you interrogate them about the Spirit locked in the facility?"

"I did, but all of the officers in the upper half of the facility are essentially pawns. They know nothing except for the basic layout of the facility, and the fact that the lower half of the facility is even more well-guarded than the surface."

"Hum?"

"Excuse me?"

Both Kannazuki and Rinne couldn't contain their surprise.

"It is as I say. The floors and the walls of the lower half of the facility are reinforced by Territory barriers, powered by Realizers within the construct. Not only it makes them harder to destroy, but it also prevents me and my clones from simply phasing through with my powers. I was forced to destroy the floor to get there."

"Is that so? That means despite the effort they put into hiding this base, the DEM is still expecting this place to be breached at some point."

After saying that, Kannazuki then hummed in thought, no doubt contemplating what that could possibly mean.

Rinne was not sure if she was taking conclusions too early, but she decided to speak anyway.

"That means the Spirit is very likely to be located down there. Right, Kurumi?"

"Most likely, Rinne. I have tested that these reinforced walls also cut off our communication line. A few minutes before you contacted me, I sent a clone of mine through the hole I made to try contacting you with the earpiece, but it seems that you didn't hear anything. Am I wrong?"

The Ruler opened her mouth, but Kannazuki beat her to replying.

"Indeed. We didn't pick up your clone's voice at all."

"There is little doubt that the Spirit is located down there, but there is also no doubt that it will be quite risky for me to infiltrate by myself. I think it's about time for my back up?"

Despite the rather grim message she was conveying, Kurumi's tone was back to her usual, playful tone. Rinne rolled her eyes at that.

" _Oh, Kurumi. At least try to sound like you are actually troubled."_

Rinne refrained from commenting, though. Kurumi really liked being dramatic, after all.

Meanwhile, Kannazuki seemed to agree with Kurumi.

"I suppose we can agree on that. Ruler?"

"Alright, I will catch up with her."

Rinne turned her sights to the destroyed land behind her, caused by Shido's [Halvanhelev] earlier.

The sight of the ruined forest - if it could even be called that anymore - made her pause momentarily, but Rinne refocused her mind.

"Kurumi, I know you will not wait for me, so I'll say this, at least. Be careful, ok?"

The Spirit on the other end of the line let out a chuckle.

"There is no need to worry about me."

* * *

Just as she said that, the Nightmare Spirit leaped through the hole she just made on the floor.

Soon after, darkness greeted her as Kurumi gently landed on the lower floor, her flight powers aiding her descent.

There was no light source, if she didn't count the hole above her. It was quite fortunate that Spirits like Kurumi did not require light to see.

After a moment's observation, Kurumi could tell that she was in yet another hallway. The design was roughly similar to the one in the upper floors, but this one was larger in both width and height, resembling actual tunnels.

If she took into account the metallic floor and the lack of light, it was even more similar to an abandoned excavation tunnel.

"..."

As far as she could tell, nothing was hiding within the darkness. However, Kurumi didn't trust her senses in this situation. With that in mind, she allowed her shadow to expand from her feet, ready to summon her reserve clones at a moment's notice.

Slowly, the Nightmare Spirit moved forward with a slow, careful pace.

"You finally arrived."

Kurumi halted her step at the distant, yet very loud, feminine voice that echoed within the darkness. It was probably spoken through a speaker of some sort.

"Hmm… earlier than my calculation. Although Ratatoskr's Spirit is helping you, I don't expect you to bypass the upper defenses this quickly."

The polite, surprisingly welcoming tone was unexpected for Kurumi, to say the least. However, Kurumi was not so easily surprised.

"Ara ara, I am flattered. To whom do I owe this pleasure?"

"Ah, where are my manners?"

The tone of the voice was outwardly polite, but Kurumi knew better. Underneath the formality, it was dismissive, and didn't have any respect at all.

"I am the security system of [Cage of Judgment]. Ars Unit 1, [ **Marina** ]."

Kurumi narrowed her eyes.

" _She calls herself 'the security system'?"_

It was not human?

Then, what could it be? A robot? Artificial intelligence, perhaps? If it was, it was certainly several times more advanced than the Bendersnatch.

Those combat dolls spoke with programmed voices, and with a robotic, monotonous tone. On the other hand, this Marina clearly sounded human, if the false politeness was any indication.

As she was in thought, Marina spoke again.

"I know what you are. Classified threat level S, codenamed Nightmare. There is no one within the DEM who isn't aware of the atrocities you have committed."

The Spirit of Time almost wanted to laugh at the statement. The Deus Ex Machina, accusing her of atrocities?

Kurumi didn't even want to point out the sheer irony and hypocrisy of that.

"How rude. And, what are you going to do about it?"

"Oh, it's simple."

Marina let out a chuckle.

"I will just kill you, that's all."

All of a sudden, Kurumi could feel killing intent from within the darkness.

Expecting an attack since earlier, the Nightmare Spirit instantly summoned her temporal selves from her shadow, forming a human barricade both in front of and behind her.

An instant later, Kurumi could hear several gunfire shots from within the darkness. Several projectiles pierced and killed some of her clones - the Spirit of Time could feel their dying agony as the memories returned to her - but none of the attacks managed to breach through and reach her.

"Ha ha ha! As expected from the worst Spirit. There is no way I could kill you with a simple ambush."

Much to Kurumi's surprise, Marina's voice didn't come from a speaker this time. In fact, this voice sounded more natural.

Reabsorbing what were left from her clones back to her shadow, Kurumi turned to see the source of the voice.

What she saw made her widen her eyes in surprise.

"...Astral Dress?"

Kurumi couldn't help but voice her shock as her eyes fell on a black-haired, golden eyed young girl who seemed to pop out of existence in the midst of the dark.

Indeed, the first thing that Kurumi noticed was what Marina was wearing.

It was a black dress that was vertically cut in the middle - exposing the girl's body - with a frilly white collar around the neck. The girl also wore a very small shorts that matched her 'dress.'

However, what would otherwise just be an exotic clothing was complimented with several dozens of black ribbons - or perhaps, cables - that sprouted forth from the back of her dress, as well as around the hip of the dress, all shrouded with a dark energy that Kurumi knew all too well.

Spirit mana.

"You are… a Spirit?"

"Hmm…"

Unexpectedly, Marina crossed her arms in front of her chest, and made a posture as if she was thinking.

"Hmm… that's right, I'm a Spirit. But I guess… you can also say that I'm not a Spirit?"

Then, she shrugged.

"Whatever. You are going to die anyway, so why should it matter to you?"

As if on cue, Marina summoned a pair of anti-material rifles that were similar to the ones carried by [Anti Spirit Team]'s Wizards, one in each hand, and aimed it at Kurumi.

The Nightmare Spirit also noticed that this new Spirit was not the alone- behind Marina, there were about seven girls with suspiciously identical features; and Kurumi could also sense nine people with Spirit mana behind her.

" _Seventeen of them, surrounding me… but there could be more."_

From what she could sense, all seventeen were Spirits. That was impossible for there to be that many though; so most likely, it was a self-duplication power… just like hers.

Knowing that she was surrounded, Kurumi quickly used her flight powers to dive toward the ceiling - narrowly avoiding the magical bullets fired at her - and flew through the hole she made earlier to enter this floor.

"Humph! Are you running away, Nightmare?!"

Apparently offended, one of the Marinas screamed at her with a mocking tone.

The Nightmare Spirit didn't pay heed to it.

"Kihihi. [Mes]! Fire!"

The instant she returned to the upper floor, Kurumi commanded her army of temporal selves - that had been waiting there since earlier - to fire down shadow bullets upon the floor.

After only a second of preparation, thousands of shadow bullets were fired; damaging the whole floor and causing it to crack; and, in a short order, crumble and fell down below.

As countless rubble of metal collided with the tunnel below, Kurumi could vaguely make out several female screams among the loud crashing noise, no doubt belonging to the Marinas that were buried by the floor her army had destroyed.

Kurumi smirked at the carnage.

"It seems that she doesn't understand the meaning of tactical retreat."

Clearly, Marina had underestimated Kurumi. Although this Spirit had managed to take Kurumi by surprise, Marina failed to capitalize on that.

Kurumi couldn't deny that she was surprised, though. She had not expected the existence of another Spirit inside this cage, let alone one who would serve DEM.

However, the Nightmare Spirit wasn't worried about her chances.

There was **no one** alive who was more experienced in killing Spirits than her, after all.

Still, if Marina had duplication powers, Kurumi couldn't underestimate her, either. There was little to no possibility that the real Marina was among the ones she had buried alive.

The Spirit of Time was confident, but there was a fine line between rightful confidence and foolish arrogance. Although she was sure she could take on this Spirit by herself, it would be better to wait for Rinne to help her, in this case.

Now that Kurumi was back to the upper half of the facility, the communication should be available again.

" _I should report this while I still can…"_

"Ha… ha ha ha!"

Kurumi widened her eyes at the feminine, sinister laughter coming from below.

Roughly seventeen figures emerged from the rubble and levitated into the air - without the slightest hint of injury on their form. Their bodies were not even dirtied.

The Marinas.

" _...I see."_

Surviving those rubble without a single scratch, meant that these Spirits were not just protected by their Astral Dress. From head to toe, they were protected by Territories; which meant they were also carrying Combat Realizers like Wizards.

"Not bad, Nightmare!"

"Using our own environment against us… you really are the worst Spirit."

"But did you really think we could be beaten that easily?"

All of the Marinas looked up to face Kurumi's army, all with a smug grin that seemed to scream 'not enough firepower.'

Kurumi could hear some of her temporal selves being insulted and shot back their own insults, but Kurumi didn't bother to do the same.

" _...Well, this will take a while. I suppose calling Rinne over was a good idea, after all."_

* * *

"Phew… thanks for listening, everyone!"

Even though there was no visible audience, Miku bowed her head slightly as Gabriel stopped its singing.

Unable to contain her smile, Miku turned toward the Kurumi inside the speaker room.

"How was my performance, assistant? It was spectacular, wasn't it?"

"I have to admit… it was different than the innocent performance I heard back then. I'll retract my words, Miku-san."

Much to Miku's surprise, Kurumi praised her with a straightforward, sincere tone; leaving her speechless.

Miku was expecting the insufferable woman to begrudgingly admit that she was amazing, so that she could pay back all those insults… but hearing a genuine praise made it rather difficult to be smug.

However, her pride as an idol was strong, and she was never one to turn down a praise anyway.

"Ufufu, I see that I have won your heart over!"

Miku crossed her arms pridefully as she dispelled both her keyboard and her Angel, prompting Kurumi to let out a questioning 'hum'

"What are you doing, Miku-san?"

"I don't need to stay here, you know. A performance only needs to be done once. If I want to energize your clones and captivate everyone again, I only need to leave a few pipes there-"

To match her words, several silver long round tubes appeared near Kurumi's feet within the speaker room, surprising Kurumi.

"Ara, there are…?"

"Those pipes are part of my Gabriel. So long as it's there, no matter where I am in this base, my [voice] can reach the speakers in that room."

"I see… sounds travel through any medium, so your Angel can also manifest and phase through surfaces… hump, my original really have underestimated you."

Miku positively smiled at the praise, although she didn't miss what those last words implied.

"So you are not the original Kurumi, eh? Do you know where she is, then? I need to catch up with her."

"Far, far deeper beneath the earth than us. I'll have a convoy prepared for you, songstress."

The Diva frowned. That meant it would take some time to reach the Nightmare Spirit; considering Miku couldn't phase through solid objects like Kurumi and her clones could.

She could simply destroy the floors… but spending Spirit mana too much while her role was for support was unwise.

"Very well then. Let's depart!"

"Izayoi-san?"

A voice called out her surname.

"Ara?"

"Eh?"

It was a voice belonging to the third Spirit involved in this invasion.

" _Rinne?"_

" _Mama?"_

Ignoring Shido and Rio's mental voice, Miku turned to the entrance of the room. As her indigo eyes met Rinne's veiled yet intense crimson red, the Spirit that just entered the room smiled.

"I was looking for you. Seems that I missed a live performance."

The Diva somehow felt slightly nervous, now that she was face-to-face with the Spirit that made Shido fell into a coma.

In her silence, the Kurumi clone in the speaker room spoke in Miku's place with a pleased tone.

"You have arrived, I see. This will make clearing the obstacles in our path much easier."

"Why do I feel like I am considered some sort of heavy artillery force…"

While Rinne and Kurumi made their usual back and forth bickering, though, Miku's thoughts became dormant, as Shido and Rio took over.

" _Rio, can I transform back to my usual form and keep using Gabriel like Miku did just now?"_

" _Hmm…"_

Shido could imagine Rio's poking her chin, deep in thought.

" _It's a little difficult for Papa, but Rio can control the Angel while Papa is talking to Mama."_

" _Eh? How do you know that I want to…"_

He stopped his mental question. What was he thinking? Of course Rio could tell.

" _Thank you, Rio. I don't know how many times I will say this."_

" _It's fine, Papa. Rio only exists for Papa and Mama."_

Feeling the large, happy smile that was no doubt forming on Rio's imaginary face, he wished he could mentally hug her.

" _Then… let's cancel our transformation."_

" _Um!"_

After transforming twice, Shido thought that transforming back to his original form would feel strange again, but surprisingly, the familiar sense of reconfiguration was absent.

Rather, it felt as if the Spirit mana that sustained his transformation returned back to him, which felt quite similar to the sensation he had when he sealed a Spirit, apart from the… kiss, of course.

Closing his eyes, the light that was Miku's Astral Dress, [Shaddai El Chai] faded away from his form, and the familiar feeling of his school uniform returned.

"Phew…"

Letting out a sigh, Shido opened his eyes to find Rinne's familiar veiled gaze.

"Shido? Why did you return to your human form?"

At that moment, Shido felt something.

For some reason, an overwhelming urge came over him. The instant he saw Rinne, he felt he had to do something. Something he usually did… something he had to do, because only he could do.

It was a strangely familiar feeling.

" _Something… is urging me to capture her."_

Without understanding why, Shido flashed a smile with as much confidence as he could muster to answer Rinne.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to talk with you. And obviously it isn't appropriate if I use Miku's form to talk with my date partner, ain't it?"

"...!"

Rinne was silent, but even her posture made it clear that she was surprised.

Shido had expected that reaction. He had thought that Rinne was the modest type. Thus, a bold move would be effective, and it was perfect, he managed to catch her off-guard.

Time to be on the offensive.

"What's wrong, Rinne?"

With a cheeky tone, Shido asked teasingly - but much to his chagrin, Rinne ignored it.

"...I think your personality changed somewhat. That bold reaction… is not like the usual you, Shido."

"Huh?"

As if snapped out of a daze, Shido let out a dumbfounded sound.

" _Wait a second… I said what?"_

Shido knew, he was once again not being his usual self. Normally, Shido would have been blushing like a tomato if he said things like that. Yet, he could not even feel any sense of embarrassment, it was as if he was always this shameless.

" _What happened to me, this time? How could I say all of that?"_

" _Don't worry, Papa. It's a side effect of our power…"_

" _Side effect?"_

He was surprised. Rio's power had a side effect?

" _No matter how Rio smooths the mana flow, it still flows through Papa's body. So, slight influences on Papa's behavior is unavoidable."_

" _Influences?"_

Did Rio mean his altered personality? The one that Reine claimed was like a gigolo of some sorts? The thought of him hitting on girls, especially Rinne, made him a little hesitant.

Not to mention… was he alright? This felt like de ja vu. Didn't he overheat his Spirit powers before with these symptoms? Could the transformation, [Aspect of the Sephiroth], cause him to lose control over his Spirit powers again?

" _Are you sure I will be alright?"_

" _Papa will be okay. Rio promises that Papa isn't in any danger like last time."_

The reassuring, gentle voice was all Shido needed.

Erasing hesitance from his thoughts, Shido spoke again.

"It's probably nothing. Just a side effect from using Tohka's and Miku's form for too long, I guess. Why don't we ask Kannazuki-san? He should be able to check whether my Spirit signature is abnormal."

"Please check, Kannazuki-san."

Speaking to the communicator that was likely in her ears, Rinne directly asked their operator.

Shido could hear a clicking sound in his own communicator, and Kannazuki's voice came in.

"It's true. There is no abnormal or dangerous sign on Shido-kun's body."

"I see…"

Rinne was clearly still skeptical, but she held her tongue.

Once more, Shido smiled against his will. For some reason, he felt like this was a chance for him to capitalize.

"It is not the one I promised yesterday, but shall we go for our date, Rinne?"

Shido smirked as he confidently said that.

The Ruler's expression was hidden beneath the veil like always, but Shido didn't need to see in order to know Rinne was embarrassed.

"You don't have to put it like that… are you sure you are alright?"

Shido decided to reply that with the most gentlemanly smile he could make with his lips.

"Ever since I met you, I knew you have a kind heart. But I didn't expect you to be such a worrywart…"

"T-that's…!"

Bull's eye. Shido knew he was spot on. Rinne was not quite like the girls he knew. She would think for everyone, not just herself. With that kind of leniency, Shido had a lot of ways to woo her.

Shido was clearly doing well, but this was not enough. He had to press on.

"No matter. That's what makes you such a wonderful lady, anyway."

"...You are definitely not being your normal self."

At the accusing tone, Shido finally frowned, slightly. It seemed that Rinne was worrying about the same thing that he thought earlier… the disaster he could never recall.

If that was the case, the only way to reassure her was to tell what Rio had said.

On impulse, Shido aggressively moved toward Rinne.

"Wh, what are you-"

Rinne instinctively backed off him, but Shido didn't let her escape. The Angelic Lyre in her left hand wasn't active, so he was free to enter her personal space.

Without missing a beat and not allowing her to resist, Shido grabbed Rinne's right hand, and pulled her closer to his embrace.

" _Whoa… Papa is awesome! Mama is absolutely stunned!"_

Smiling at Rio's cheerful applause within his own mind, Shido resisted the urge to take off the veil that stood between him and his final goal - her lips - and instead moved his head close enough to let out a whisper.

"...Rio told me that this is a side effect of my transformation. I am really okay, Rinne. Trust me, and Rio."

Up close, the veil that usually made Rinne's features indiscernible was almost transparent; something that Shido was grateful for since it allowed him to keep his eye contact and make out the girl's expressions.

Needless to say, Rinne was shocked senseless. It remained that way for several moments… just as Shido had hoped.

But then, Rinne's lips was contorted into a something like an embarrassed frown - which was good - but her eyes turned accusatory, and then she whispered back.

"So you are taking advantage of this side effect to win me over? Shido, maybe you really are a gigolo."

Shido smirked.

"If you realize that just now, then Kurumi hasn't been telling you enough about me."

Rinne's frown, unexpectedly for Shido, turned somewhat amused.

"It can't be helped, I guess. Then, I will play along."

The Ruler proceeded to gently push him away - much to Shido's disappointment - before backing a few steps from him.

Shido intended to come closer again, but then Rinne's voice stopped him.

"Stay where you are. I said I am about to play along, right?"

As if to emphasize her point, Spirit mana began to appear around Rinne, surrounding her Astral Dress.

" _Eh? The mana… Mama is about to transform?"_

Inside Shido's head, Rio seemed to be able to recognize what Rinne was about to do.

True to Rio's words, Rinne's Astral Dress suddenly glowed brightly, forcing Shido to cover his eyes with his arm.

It lasted for only a moment, before-

"[Elohim Mikarov]"

Upon hearing Rinne utter an unfamiliar name, Shido unconsciously lowered his arm.

What greeted his sight made his jaw drop.

It was Rinne.

But- she was different.

Standing upright before him, Rinne's appearance had changed from her usual Astral Dress, to say the least; the purple veil covering her face was gone, revealing her beautiful face for the world to see.

The large purple headdress on top of her head lost its large curtain, now only reaching her neck. Her ankle-reaching pink braids were also gone, and her hair became shorter too; Shido could see that her hair only barely reached her hips.

Shido also noticed that her purple clock dress lost most of its lower part as well, exposing Rinne's bare legs and thighs, now resembling a minidress more than anything.

On both sides of her hips, purple materials resembling coattails billowed elegantly, reaching down just below her knee. Her feet wore a pair of high-heeled shoes that seemed to be made of gold, the same material that forged the emblem on her headdress.

Wrapped around her hands were purple ribbons that seemed to be composed of metallic strings, not unlike the one in her lyre. Their lengths probably exceeded Rinne's own height, as the two ribbons were floating in the air around her, as if protective of their owner.

To say Shido was surprised was an understatement.

Opening her crimson eyes, now brighter than ever, Rinne smiled at him.

"Hee hee. Surprised?"

His mind blank for a moment, Shido found himself unable to speak, and could only manage a slow nod in affirmative.

Rinne giggled at him.

"Don't be speechless like that! I haven't even begun to play."

His common sense returning at the somewhat taunting words, Shido finally managed to regain his ability to speak.

"Wh, what's with that? I thought your clock was your Astral Dress?"

"It is, but that doesn't mean it's the only form it has. This is my half-formed Astral Dress."

Shido couldn't help but feel surprised and curious at the same time. It was true, Astral Dresses could be changed to whatever form the Spirit desired. Manifesting them partially would change its form as well, although it would result in a lower defense.

However, the Spirit mana that Shido could feel from Rinne remained as strong as ever; and since Rio was not physically present now, it felt even stronger than it was back inside the [Hraesvelgr].

As if aware of Shido's eyes checking her form, Rinne opened her mouth and smiled in an innocent, yet alluring expression - one that made Shido's heart beat faster.

"This is my form for a [date]. What do you think, Shido?"

"...You mean, it's your form for combat?"

It took Shido a second to understand that by [date] she meant [battle].

"Yes. With this form, I can focus more of my strength to my Angel. This is the true form of my [Fate Shaman (Cassiel)]… [Prophecy of Ruin (Laharos)]."

Rinne lightly swung her right arm, and the floating metallic ribbon to her right quickly dissolved into dozens of threads, before quickly reforming and becoming a single ribbon once more.

"Now then, shall we have our [date]?"

The Ruler smiled confidently, and extended her hand toward him.

Shido was stunned just now, but his composure had returned. He could see that Rinne indeed decided to play along with him now; she used that transformation to buy time and recover from his offensive.

What a clever move. Shido couldn't help but feel excited.

"Yes, let's begin our [date]."

* * *

 **So… how was it?**

 **I am still somewhat out of touch, so I doubt I am writing at my finest now. However, drop your thoughts, if there is anything not sitting right with you, please point it out!**

 **My internal debate which delayed this chapter for so long is the Spirit introduced in this chapter, "Marina" which I was unsure whether I should add or not.**

 **In the light novels, Westcott created spawns from his Demon King Beelzebub, which look, talk and act like Marina, called Nibellecoles. Because of that, I am hesitant to add Marina, since Nibellecole could be the new Marina of the light novels.**

 **But after seeing Volume 17, I am somewhat sure Nibellecoles won't ever take part as Marina. Thus, I am free from my own internal debate!**

 **Anyways, the new cover picture of this fic is Rinne's new transformation, which is original to this fic and was drawn by my brother. It was made because of; Rinne's original Astral Dress is too impractical for combat (not that it matters, since with Eden Rinne barely needs to raise a finger to wipe the floor with the asses of her enemies. This Rinne, however, is nowhere as overpowered), which is why she has a new one to match her Angel's true form.**

" **Laharos" is the name of Cassiel's weapon in Kabbah, being … an otherworldly weapon that is said to scream 'ruin' to the angel's opponent, and used against all who is not worthy of seeing God. That's also why both of Cassiel's forms are highly unconventional here (a lyre that could extend its strings to tear enemies apart, and hovering ribbons composed of dozens of the same strings, all controlled with the mind).**

 **I also found that besides meaning "Speed of God" Cassiel also means "God is my anger" which… does not fit Rinne at all, unless you count her rage against Kotori back in Chapter 10. Meanwhile, Elohim Mikarov means "God is always near" and is one of the many, many Names of God.**

 **But enough of this, I am now free, and I will - must - update the next chapter as soon as I can. I have been delayed enough! Spoiler alert: Marina is NOT Material B, although I can't deny that there is a connection between them!**

 **For you readers who have patiently waited, thank you for following the development of "Alternate Reincarnation"!**


	17. The Ruler of Power

**A/N: Salutations! Sorry for the wait!**

 **No more small talk! First, I would like to apologize for leaving this fic without an update for 3 months. 3 MONTHS! That is inexcusable even for me. If it disappoints myself, I can only imagine your feelings.**

 **However, while I hate excuses, I do have some reasons for it.**

 **You see, I bought a new Mac to replace my old, dying PC roughly three months ago, which is much smaller and more compact to accomodate my back and heavy-lifting problems. Which is good.**

 **But I need to get used to its functions, and more of all it has deleted my documents at a random rate whenever I try to save it. It is, to put it bluntly, FRUSTRATING.**

 **It has happened when I was working for "Asterisk Winter" Chapter 3 before and guess what, it has happened for "Alternate Reincarmation" Chapter 17 too. And it has deleted some of my document plans for all of my fics as well.**

 **WHAT IS THIS INSANITY? SAVING IS SUPPOSED TO SAVE YOUR PROGRESS, NOT DELETE IT, DAMN IT!**

 **It is not like it is impossible to bypass or get around. It only happens randomly and if I save, so if I copied the entire text before saving, I would still be able to paste it on a new document if it got deleted.**

 **Problem is, uh... I forgot to do that when my Mac decides to delete Chapter 17 a few days ago.**

 **Fuck.**

 **It took me a while, but I have overcome my salt caused by my PC being a jerk and reconstructed this deleted chapter, though I am not sure I am at my finest. Keep an eye to any mistake, ok?**

 **Now, let** **'** **s begin Chapter 17,** **"** **The Ruler of Power** **"**

* * *

It had been a while since she could feel the sensations of being [alive].

If living meant the breaths she drew in, and the beating heart within her chest, then she was indeed [alive].

But if living meant preserving her free will, carrying out her desire and her purpose, then she was not [alive] at all.

" _How long had it been_ _…_ _?_ _"_

How long, indeed?

The passage of time was very slow when you were not alive.

Had it been years? …Four years?

" _I have been dreaming for this long?_ _"_

The dream had indeed gone on for so long.

After all, what else could she do?

She wasn't alive, she could only pretend to.

" _Ah_ _…_ _when will it end? When will I wake up?_ _"_

When her dream was disturbed.

In this very instant, something interfered with her sleep.

One… two… three…

" _This sensation_ _…_ _three of my kind? In this prison?_ _"_

It was the faintest presence she ever felt.

However, weak as it was, it resonated within what was left of her soul.

" _Finally_ _…_ _finally!_ _"_

Soon, very soon.

She would awaken from this dream.

And she would be alive again.

* * *

Rinne didn't feel well.

It was unusual for Rinne to let herself be distracted until she felt uneasy. And she knew it was not a good thing to do.

Especially not now, when she was on a mission to free a Spirit in the [Cage of Judgment].

Yet, she could not get her thoughts off the young man beside her.

Unlike the [Kurumis] and Rinne herself, Shido couldn't get past solid walls and floors with any of his Angels, so they had to go down by foot.

It was a tempting thought to just destroy the floors, but it would spend an unnecessary amount of Spirit mana. It would be unwise to do that while battles likely awaited them ahead.

Which led to this moment.

The two of them were now inside an elevator that Kurumi clones had forcefully taken control by phasing into them and manipulating its system.

Which meant she was alone together. With him.

It was humiliating. That something as small as this made her feel embarrassed… no, more than that.

What to call this feeling? Anxiety?

" _Even though I know this will be happening sooner or later_ _…_ _I am still nervous?_ _"_

Even though she was just alone together with him?

Really, Shido was…

Pausing her thoughts, Rinne glanced to her right.

How many times had she paused, just to take a good look at him?

The blue hair that framed his smooth features of a face. The golden irises and whitened pupils with fierce determination and intense focus.

It was the same face she had seen several times, through [Web of Causality] of hers.

Right now, those features seemed to be deep in thought, much like her own. She didn't know why, but she felt like he was probably conversing with Rio, inside his mind.

" _How can I tell with just a glance, I wonder_ _…"_

Really, Shido's existence was like a spider web for her.

From that day Kurumi told her about him, she was already trapped against her own will.

Rinne didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Rinne."

She almost jolted at the sudden mention of her name.

"Yes?"

Shido's lips turned into a knowing smirk. Rinne felt her face suddenly become warmer.

"Are you distracted? It is good to lose yourself in my charm, but not when we have a Spirit to rescue."

Rinne felt like she wanted to slap him for his egoistical statement, but really, he was right.

This gigolo would not get what he wanted, though.

"Don't be so confident, Shido. If I was lost in your charm, you would be screaming and begging for mercy while my [Laharos] is restraining you."

Her train of thought suddenly becoming mischievous, Rinne couldn't help but smile.

Her mental command sent through her Angel, some of the purple metallic ribbon wrapped on her right arm unwrapped itself, and dissolved into five smaller ribbons to mimic human fingers.

Faster than Shido could react, they moved to tickle his nape.

Shido jolted at the contact, reflexively reaching for his neck, at which point the ribbons had let go. Confused, Shido turned his body around to look for the culprit, only for the five ribbons to dissolve into a dozen of smaller strings and grabbed Shido's legs.

"Wh-whoa!"

The strings then pulled his legs backwards with a single tug, causing Shido to lose his balance and fell forward.

But, before his face could hit the floor of the elevator, the ribbon wrapped on her left arm had quickly deployed itself, moved and encircled around Shido's chest and body, lifting him mid-air just a few inches above the floor, before turning his body to the left to allow him see her smiling.

Shido's face was surprised throughout the whole ordeal, but once he realized what she had done, his facial expression turned into one of slight horror.

"You, you are into bondage!?"

Rinne smiled wider as her Laharos gently repositioned Shido back to his original upright position. Funny as it was, Rinne didn't want to pull pranks on Shido too much.

But maybe one more quip would be alright…

"I wonder…? I will leave that up to your imagination."

As Shido was back standing up, he eyed her Laharos ribbons warily. For some reason, that almost made Rinne laugh.

Kurumi really was a bad influence on her.

"Kihihi! As amusing as your back and forth are, I apologize to cut it short."

Kurumi's laughter could be heard from the elevator's walls, an obvious sign that she was there with them.

"We are already at the halfway point of this facility. The elevator stops here, the entrance to the lower facility is not here. Be on your guard."

Rinne could feel her body tensing by instinct.

She inhaled a breath. It really had been a while since she had to engage a combat.

Next to her, Shido also made his own preparation.

"[Sandalphon]"

The familiar name resonated with his mana, and in an instant, a large sword of light once again appeared in Shido's hands, its radiance filling the small room they were in.

It didn't slip Rinne's notice that Shido didn't use Rio's [Aspect of the Sephiroth] again to transform.

" _Hmm_ _…_ _is it because he still wants to use Gabriel?_ _"_

It seemed Rio's power had its own drawbacks too, as amazing as it was. It looked like fully transforming into a Spirit rendered Shido unable to use more than one of his Angels. Since earlier, either as [Yatogami Tohka] or [Izayoi Miku], he didn't use any other Angel beside Sandalphon or Gabriel.

It was very peculiar, but understandable. Powerful as she was, Rio was still inexperienced with manipulating Spirit mana. Rinne wasn't completely sure, but it would seem likely that Aspect of the Sephiroth was also intended to stabilize the mana flow for each Spirit Shido had sealed.

" _What would happen once Rio manages to fully control Shido_ _'_ _s powers?_ _"_

The thought made Rinne shudder. The sheer potential… it was unimaginable.

Unaware of her scrutiny, Shido gave Sandalphon a little test swing, before turning his gaze toward her.

"Let's go!"

Rinne couldn't help but smile at his seriousness. He really wanted to save this Spirit.

"Fu fu. I shall open the door now."

Obeying Kurumi, the elevator's door opened slowly.

"Huh…?"

Shido let out a dumbfounded voice at what greeted them.

Rinne couldn't blame him, she wasn't expecting this, either.

Before them was a large chamber- or at least, what was originally a chamber. The ceilings were far above them, and Rinne could barely see the other end of the room. In terms of size, this was probably larger than even the chamber where she rendezvoused with Shido earlier.

However, the floor ahead of them had almost totally collapsed. Judging from the uneven damage on what little amount was left, it was probably an army of Kurumi who created such a massive opening. She said as much during her report earlier.

Rinne took a step closer to observe what was waiting underneath them, and Shido followed her.

Down below, it appeared to be an all-out war. Sounds of gunfire and bullets hitting something rung endlessly. In a few seconds, Rinne could hear a few female screams from them.

She didn't know whether those screams were simply because they were shouting, or something else involving pain. Or perhaps, death.

Rinne frowned.

Among the scraps and rabbles of metal, multiple Kurumis appeared to be fighting another group of identical young girls. They were armed with weapons Rinne recognized as energy rifles and swords, much like Wizards of AST.

But what she hadn't expected was, the girls were clad in strange, revealing black dresses… engulfed in Spirit mana.

Those girls wore Astral Dresses.

" _Who are they? Are they Spirits?"_

"…What? Who are those girls fighting with Kurumi?"

Shido asked with a dumbfounded tone, no doubt thinking along the same lines as her.

"That's not a question we can answer for now, Shido-san."

They both turned their heads to the ceiling of their elevator when the Kurumi clone who was accompanying them from within the walls suddenly spoke.

"I am not one of the [Mes] who are fighting down there. We need to ask one of the Mes fighting here, preferably, the original.

Rinne nodded in agreement, although she was sure this Kurumi already had an idea about who these apparent enemies were.

" _These girls_ _…_ _are not [Material B], are they?_ _"_

There was a chance the original Kurumi had already freed the Spirit locked in this facility and these girls were Material B; but if that was the case she should have no reason to attack Kurumi.

Even if the Spirit was unstable like Itsuka Kotori and would attack anything on sight, they shouldn't be wielding Deus Ex Machina Wizard weapons.

Which meant- these girls were part of DEM.

" _I don't need to hesitate, then… though confirming the situation takes priority."_

With that in mind, Rinne twitched the Angelic Strings on her arms.

"Let's go, Shido."

"Alright."

Together, both of them leaped down the elevator and into the crossfire between a group of Kurumis and the unidentified girls, but Rinne knew neither she nor Shido intended to let themselves be hit.

"Hyah!"

Shido shouted a battle cry as he swung his Angelic Sword downwards with both of his hands, sending a wave of purple-black energy toward the hostile group of girls.

"Huh?!"

"More intruders!?"

Alerted by their arrival, the unidentified girls quickly separated to all directions to avoid Shido's attack, which demolished the already ruined rabble they were standing on.

As they were scattered, she and Shido had landed safely on the rabbles. Not missing a beat, Rinne decided to get the attention of the other group.

"Kurumis! What is happening here? Who are you fighting against?"

Recognizing her voice, the Kurumis all smiled, prompting Rinne to smile in return despite the tense situation. Relaxing, two of the Kurumis then floated her way to approach her.

"As you can see, currently our forces are in a battle against those girls." One of them said, in a rushed tone.

The other cleared her throat before she spoke. "They call themselves Ars Unit 1, Marina, and claim to be the security system of this facility."

Rinne raised a brow. She had been expecting these girls to belong to the DEM, but the security system of Cage of Judgment? What could that mean?

It was Shido who asked her question.

"Security system? But they are clearly Spirits!"

Shido was clearly concerned. Influenced by Rio's powers or not; he would definitely prioritize saving Spirits, even the ones who were hostile to him.

He had tried, and was still trying to, save Kurumi, after all.

One of the Kurumis smiled. "We can tell, Shido-san. But there is no indication that these girls are the one we came for."

"In fact, I am sure they aren't." The other finished, her expression grim.

Just as this Kurumi said that, the Marinas on the other side had regrouped and had them on their sights.

"Those are Itsuka Shido and the Ruler!"

"Humph, the capture targets priority?"

"We can just leave them half-dead. No need to hold back!"

Shouting those words, the Marinas began barraging them with dozens of energy shots.

Rinne could see Shido preparing himself to block it with his Sandalphon, his posture tensing, and his hands gripping his sword in a stance that resembled a kendo practitioner.

It was actually a very adorable pose.

"Haaahhh!"

With his sword, Shido projected a forcefield made of purple energy, not unlike Tohka's to protect them.

Knowing Shido would take care of their defense, Rinne turned her focus back to the two Kurumis behind her.

"Where is your original?"

"I am not sure."

"These Marinas are definitely fewer than us in terms of numbers, but more and more of them came from the floors below."

"I suspect the original Me has left this floor and descended."

Rinne nodded in understanding. That meant there could be more of them below, and Kurumi really wasn't waiting for her.

" _Oh, well. I did say she wouldn_ _'_ _t be waiting._ _"_

She shook her head. There was no need to fret over it.

"What do you want to do, Shido?"

Saying that, Rinne turned to the human with Spirit powers, who returned her gaze.

Honestly, she could tell what he was about to say. There was a Spirit in reach, and even if the Marinas were hostile to them, Shido definitely wouldn't leave it alone.

It was just how he was.

True to her thoughts, Shido's lips turned into a confident smirk.

"You know what I am going to do."

Rinne found herself smiling at that answer.

"Very well."

"Got any plans? Those girls won't wait for too long."

Shido gestured his head, pointing to beyond the purple barrier he was projecting, where the Marinas seemed to have realized the futility of their attacks.

"Won't budge with this much, eh?"

"Group together! Formation L!"

The Marinas form a circular formation mid-air, forming something akin to a hexagram facing toward Shido's barrier with three to four Marinas on each point. They all projected their Realizer's magical energy into a single point in the middle of their circle; forming a very small, yet intense sphere-shaped [Territory].

One of them shouted. "Fire!"

At once, the Marinas fired all of their rifles into the Territory they created, which completely absorbed their shots – or rather, condensed their energy within the sphere. After a moment, the sphere cracked, and from the small hole a very large beam was fired toward Shido's barrier.

Rinne could tell from a glance that Shido was not going to be able to block this one. She was sure Shido and the Kurumis thought the same as they all leaped a considerable distance away.

Well, she was not planning to do the same.

Rinne dashed and went into a kneeling position; gathering the strength and the momentum to made a leap **over** the incoming attack.

"Rinne?!"

She could hear Shido's shout from behind, but Rinne was unconcerned. She would be able to make the dodge, she was sure of it.

"She jumped over our attack!"

"Spread, spread! She will attack us!"

Rinne let her lips curve into a small smile. A little too late.

"Laharos!"

Like a snake lunged at its prey, her Laharos lunged at its victim as Rinne extended her right arm.

"What the-

The Marina on her sight never got to finish her sentence.

The seemingly harmless ribbons on her arms had once again separated into metallic strings that were too numerous to count, and every single one of them found a place to wrap on Marina's body.

"A… a…!"

The legs, the hips, the stomach, the chest, the back, the arms, the neck – her strings had wrapped around and squeezed them all, the Marina could not even make a visible struggle. All she could do was to let out a strangled whimper.

Before any of the other Marinas could react, Rinne twirled mid-air as she swung the Laharos in her right arm behind her; forcefully separating the captured Marina away from her group to her direction.

As Rinne landed on the rabble scattered on the floor, the numerous strings suddenly halted their momentum as the Marina passed by next to her, as if it was trying to curtly, and humbly present its captured prey to her as the Master.

Her back turned to the group of Marinas, Rinne paid them no mind as she observed the Marina in her grasp.

She was in pain and her whole body was trembling from the pressure her Laharos was exuding, Rinne supposed she overdid it?

A tingle of guilt hitting her, Rinne whispered. "I am sorry. I don't know how strong you are, so…"

'I cannot hold back,' Rinne finished privately. Apparently understanding this, the Marina threw her a glare full of anger.

It was as if she was shouting, 'don't you dare pity on me.'

Rinne sighed at that.

Suddenly, she could hear Shido's screaming.

"Rinne, behind you!"

The Ruler closed her eyes. She didn't need him to know, but she was thankful regardless.

Behind her, the other half of Laharos on her left arm had dissolved into several strings, forming something akin to a cape which was just large enough to protect her from several energy blasts the Marinas sent.

Rinne frowned as she glanced at them. These Marinas immediately tried to attack her, while one of their own was in her mercy? When stray attacks could possibly hit the Marina she had captured?

That probably meant their individual lives meant nothing to them in the long run, and their pragmatism was comparable to Kurumi's…

The thought made her a little sad.

Fully turning her body around, Rinne flexed and swung her left arm, and the small cape formed of threads dissolved to once again became deadly weapons - a very long, very fine, and very sharp collection of lyre strings.

Its range suddenly increased, none of the Marinas could react as the strings passed by them, and sliced some of their rifles into halves of wrecked firearms, much to their collective surprise.

"That was a warning."

As the strings once again combined together to become a ribbon and wrapped most of its length back on her left arm, Rinne lowered her voice to try and sound as threatening as possible.

"I will mutilate you if you don't back down."

To emphasize, Rinne clenched her right hand, and the Laharos ribbon wrapped on her right arm reacted by increasing the pressure upon the Marina it had captured, who was now held mid-air next to her.

"Ack…!"

Rinne observed the Marinas. None of them reacted, even in the slightest bit, to the captured Marina's pain.

Instead, they all smiled.

"Asking us to surrender? How naïve."

"Pfft. And you are supposed to be Nightmare's partner?"

"Go ahead and prove your mettle, if you can!"

The Ruler narrowed her eyes at the mockeries hurled at her.

"… _I suppose I should have guessed._ _"_

"You asked for it."

Rinne flexed her left arm. She was going to give them a taste of [Dance with Destiny] then–

"Sandalphon!"

The shout made Rinne jolt in surprise.

All of a sudden, a large wave of purple energy struck the ground below the Marinas and caused the floor that was already damaged and covered in rabbles to suffer more destruction. The subsequent explosion of Spirit mana enveloped the Marinas in the process; giving them no chance to even scream as they were at the ground zero of the blast.

The next moment, Shido dropped from above and landed right in front of her, his sword still glowing with Spirit mana.

As her crimson eyes met Shido's gold, the man opened his mouth first.

"You okay?"

Out of reflex, Rinne's mouth spoke before she could think.

"Yes, thank you."

Shido nodded, before he turned to the area he blasted with Sandalphon earlier. Rinne followed suit, they didn't want any survivor to attack them while having their guard down.

It seemed Shido's attack had managed to blow a hole into the floor below, and as the dust settled, it appeared none of the Marinas struck were left standing – most of them were lying here and there around the hole, either unconscious or too injured to move.

Rinne was a bit alarmed at their injuries, but it seemed none of them died. That was a plus.

Shido too, let out a sigh of relief.

"Good thing you managed to distract them like that, Rinne. I was worried for those girls."

Rinne raised a brow slightly. For the Marinas?

"You were worried for them?"

At that moment, Shido's expression faltered, and he smiled awkwardly. As if he was embarrassed, Shido scratched his cheek with his free hand.

"You know, when you said you are going to mutilate them… I am not sure whether you were serious or not, and I don't really want to see you… cutting them up. So I am glad I can end this fight before that happened."

Rinne was stunned at that.

" _Did_ _…_ _did he actually think-_

She could barely resist her urge to laugh.

"Shido… do you really think I was going to mutilate them?"

Much to her surprise, Shido actually fidgeted, and averted his eyes from her.

"Well… you didn't deny that you like bondage, so I wouldn't put it past you, I guess?"

Shido gestured to the now-squirming Marina next to them, who was still hold in-place by her right half of the Laharos.

For a moment, Rinne's mind halted.

Did Shido really think-

Understanding Shido's thought process, Rinne burst into laughter.

"Pfft- ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

For some reason, Shido visibly shuddered at her laughter. Was he actually scared? That made Rinne felt even more humored– goodness, was Shido always this innocent?

"Shi, Shido, I was only joking. Why on earth would you think I was serious?"

As if he was offended, Shido made a bemused expression.

"Jokes? Your jokes are about as practical as Kurumi's! How could I NOT take it seriously?!"

Rinne let out a chuckle. "Well, I AM her partner, and her habits might be contagious."

"I guess I forget about that for a minute there…" Shido sighed.

He rubbed the back of his head, as if conveying 'my bad'

"You two are so different, but in the end, I suppose you two really are friends."

Those words, made Rinne happier than she would admit. She couldn't help but smile wholeheartedly at that.

"Thank you. I apologize if I scared you there, Shido."

All of sudden, Shido's eyes widened, as if he was stunned.

Rinne raised a brow at his expression. Why was he surprised?

What could cause him to-

" _Oh._ _"_

It came back to her. All the times Shido had blushed simply because a girl smiled earnestly to, for, and because of him. It was actually very modest of him, and Rinne hated to admit it was one of her favorite parts from watching Shido's life through Web of Causality.

The thought made Rinne smile wider. Shido might be a man of impressive courage and determination at times, but in the end, he was still a teenager at heart.

Trying to hide his embarrassment, Shido cleared his throat.

"A-anyway… what are you going to do with her?"

Shido once again pointed to the Marina Rinne had captured.

Rinne's smile faltered. That's right, she had to explain.

"I am going to see her past."

Both Shido and the Marina she had restrained let out a shocked gasp.

"See her past? You could do that?"

Shido was a little too surprised than Rinne thought he would be. He had seen Kurumi's powers and Nia's omniscience. This should be nothing new for him, wasn't it?

Regardless, Rinne nodded.

"Back when we were inside the [Hraesvelgr] helicopter, do you remember how Kurumi and I were chatting without actually talking?"

Shido appeared confused for a moment, before his golden, Spirit-influenced eyes widened as if he just recalled it.

"Ah! I remember. So, you were really chatting?"

"Indeed, through these children."

Her arms gestured to the children in question - the Laharos wrapped around her arms.

"In simple terms, I can connect my body and mind with other people through physical contact with my Angel. It is why it is named [Fate Connection]."

To be more specific, Fate Connection linked Rinne's very own [String of Fate] with its target's - but Shido didn't know what String of Fate was, and explaining that one would take a while, so Rinne decided not to mention that yet.

"Fate… Connection…"

Shido appeared to be very perplexed for a moment, before his mouth opened again.

"Does your Spirit ability have something to do with fate, Rinne?"

That, surprised Rinne. Shido caught to that faster than she thought, although that was probably obvious with its name.

"Yes. Are you surprised?"

"I guess I am… is it going to be taxing on you?"

Rinne smiled. Shido was probably comparing her Fate Connection with Kurumi's [Tenth Bullet] – and under any other circumstances, that would be correct, to use your experience with other Spirits to measure another's power.

Not the case with her, though. Connecting Strings of Fate didn't require Spirit mana beyond its activation. Once connected, the effects would be permanent until the physical contact was severed.

"No, not really. But it will take some time and it is unsafe to do it in the middle of a battlefield, so I would prefer not to do it now."

The Ruler turned her gaze to the Marina which was still struggling in the bindings of her Laharos. With a breath, Rinne chanted.

"Laharos, Fate Connection, activate."

The Marina suddenly widened her eyes, as if realizing what Rinne had just done. Her eyes, which were defiant up to that point, suddenly became colored with something else.

Terror.

Not too long after, Marina's whole body abruptly went still, and her eyes slowly began to close, despite her obvious attempts to keep it open.

"Rinne? What, what are you doing to her?"

Worry obvious in his tone, Shido almost moved to stop her, but he held himself back.

Guilt suddenly clawed its way to Rinne's heart. Shido's response was only natural - to a stranger, it would appear Rinne was killing Marina.

" _I need to explain myself_ _…!"_

After a deep breath, Rinne opened her mouth.

"My Fate Connection can establish two different types of connection. The one I used with Kurumi before, is named [ **Intertwining Souls** ] – and it allows to establish a two-way connection. I can send my thoughts and memories to Kurumi, and vice versa. This one, though…"

Rinne paused for a moment. Had the Marina gone to sleep yet?

Marina's eyes were completely closed, and her constant struggle had stopped. Her Laharos couldn't sense anymore resistance, either.

She decided it was okay to continue.

"…is called [ **Sacrificial Bonds** ]. It only establishes a one-way connection, so I don't really use them for much. I do need it to drain her Spirit mana and weaken her, though."

Shido was visibly relieved at her explanation.

"I knew you would never mercilessly kill her."

Rinne smiled in return. She was flattered, but she couldn't resist to make a quip at that.

After all, this was not the normal Shido either, so there was no reason to allow herself to just accept his compliments.

"Said the person who just a few minutes ago was thinking I would mutilate a bunch of girls for disregarding my warning. A little inconsistent, don't you think?"

Shido groaned.

"You are not going to drop that anytime soon, are you?"

Rinne giggled.

"No, I will drop it for now. Kurumis!"

Deciding enough was enough, Rinne moved the topic along.

Responding to her call, a group of Kurumis they had helped quickly gathered around the two of them.

"Help Shido protect me. I am going to see what exactly are these Marinas."

"Understood."

"Objective acknowledged."

"We won't let anyone touch you!"

The Kurumis quickly formed a defensive formation surrounding her and Shido, and Shido himself gripped his sword and stood next to her, eying their environment.

Even though the two of them had just taken down a group of Marinas, there were several more still fighting with groups of Kurumis at other sides of this battlefield, and ultimately, their actions didn't seem to change the progress of the battle.

Although Rinne was sure she could easily take down these Marinas even without Shido and Kurumis backing her up, she wasn't really sure she could do that without dealing casualties – and honestly, she was sure that Shido would agree with her about avoiding to hurt anyone more than they needed to.

Thus, it would be more efficient to investigate these Marinas with her Fate Connection. She would find out their origins, and hopefully, find a way to disable them without much fuss.

With that in mind, Rinne sent her Angel a command about the unconscious Marina in their grasp.

"Laharos, Fate Connection, activate."

" _Show me our Intertwining Souls!_ _"_

* * *

Kurumi was a little surprised at the turn of events.

As it turned out, these Marinas were not exactly small fries – though they employed a self-duplication abilities similar to her own, each of these Marinas possessed individual abilities higher than her clones.

Each of them had an Astral Dress, a Combat Realizer Suit, Wizard-class weapons, and their own Spirit power. When all of those were combined, the Marinas outmatched her own clones in strength. Kurumi was forced to make use of more of her own 12 Bullet powers to penetrate their defenses and went this far in.

It didn't make it any less **fun** , however.

"Fufufu…"

Strolling through another dark tunnel, her flintlock and her musket ready in both of her hands, Kurumi giggled lightly with each of her steps.

Still, it was something she needed to give serious thoughts about.

The DEM had managed to enlist Spirits in their ranks-

It was not something she had expected before.

As far as Kurumi knew from that wretch – [Takamiya Mio], just thinking about her name made Kurumi's blood boil – there should only be Ten Spirits.

Fragments of [Sephira Crystal] belonging to the First Spirit. Ten humans who accepted them to become Children of the Origin. Ten cursed existences that brought disasters upon the world.

Yet–

" _Rinne carries within her, another Sephira Crystal._ _"_

Kurumi had been shocked beyond belief when she learned of that, back when Kurumi encountered the Ruler Spirit.

After all, how could it possibly happen? For a Sephira Crystal just to appear like that?

Four years ago, Kurumi had tried to use her time powers to find out exactly how Rinne got her Sephira Crystal.

Unfortunately, she couldn't possibly hit that Crystal with her Tenth Bullet while it had become one with Rinne. In the end, Kurumi could only see Rinne's own life.

That five years ago, on August 3rd, Phantom gave Rinne a Sephira Crystal, and turned her into a Spirit, just like that. That was all she could ascertain, apart from Rinne's human life.

Kurumi ran out of clues, so she didn't try to investigate about it.

But then, the information network made by her clones kept receiving rumors about DEM capturing more and more Spirits from all over the world, far more than Kurumi ever imagined.

Just how those came to be? What were those Spirits?

Kurumi's information network hadn't extended much farther than Japan, which was why she couldn't investigate about those Spirits. Fortunately, Rinne could help her with foreign investigations.

Three years later – a full year ago – Rinne had informed her that these captured Spirits were not just a fraud, they were real. However, she was suspicious since these Spirits didn't seem to be well-guarded at all.

Rinne had claimed she could probably destroy entire facilities housing one of these Spirits without much fuss, and the only reason she didn't do so was because she had to keep her existence a secret.

Thus, Rinne concluded that among the many 'Spirits' DEM had captured, only Material A and B were securely protected. This matched the info Kurumi could attain, as well.

With no immediate action possible, Kurumi had decided investigating these 'extra Spirits' could wait until she could capture at least one of them.

That was why when the opportunity to capture arised, Kurumi had planned to attack this facility to retrieve Material B, who was said to be the second Spirit the DEM had captured after Honjou Nia.

However, much to her surprise, another Spirit was waiting here – these Marinas who claimed to be their security system – and it threw her calculation off.

Marina's existence presented more possibilities.

One, the DEM had somehow brainwashed the extra Spirits they had captured. However, that didn't make any sense – that sorry excuse of a man, Isaac Westcott, didn't want to brainwash the Spirits. All he wanted was to torture them, turn them into Inverse Spirits, and take away their Crystals.

Which opened a second possibility – perhaps, the DEM had been producing these extra Spirits, through their own means.

That was not something Kurumi would like to be true, but she had to consider the possibility.

It seemed more likely than not, since Kurumi couldn't sense an Angel from them, much like her own clones. If it was just counterfeit Spirits, Kurumi doubted that it was beyond the DEM's abilities to manufacture.

If DEM had somehow managed to produce counterfeiters like these, then it was likely those so called 'captured Spirits' were in reality artificial Spirits they successfully created, and they made it seem like these counterfeiters were 'real' Spirits.

After all, the main reason the DEM became one the most successful company in the world was because it was one of the few who manufactured the Realizers, humanity's only defense against the Spirits.

If it became known that the company was actually creating those Spirits, then they would lose a huge amount of support. As such, instead of keeping it a secret, they claimed their artificially-made Spirits were "the Spirits they managed to capture" to boost their reputation.

It was only expected from a bunch of greedy liars claiming to be humans.

That being said, Kurumi highly doubted Material B was one of those counterfeiters. There would be no need to enforce such heavy defenses in this island if that was the case.

Yes, most likely, Material B was a similar existence to Rinne.

[Phantom] had at least obtained one Sephira Crystal in addition to the original ten, for Rinne. The one housing [Cassiel].

Who was to say, she didn't possess more?

If anyone in this whole world was able to create more Sephira Crystals, it was Takamiya Mio, and no one else.

Why wouldn't that inhuman monster produce more Spirits?

Kurumi gritted her teeth.

That devil was probably creating more and more, even now.

Rinne's existence was proof of it.

Kurumi closed her eyes.

It was not the time for her to be sentimental. There was a mission at hand, analyzing the situation was necessary, being emotional wasn't.

With a deep breath, Kurumi steeled her focus, and pressed on.

* * *

" _Ah… yes…!"_

Among the three of her kind, one had approached her.

A little more… just a little closer, and she would be…

" _Come closer…!"_

She couldn't wait anymore.

She had been trapped in this dream for so long.

She wanted to be free.

" _Give my life back!"_

* * *

 **How was it? Leave your thoughts in the reviews!**

 **It has been a while since I typed for Alternate Reincarnation, and now I am seriously rusty. If you feel the quality isn** **'** **t going to be as good as the previous ones, just say so!**

 **Anyway, I feel like this is going to go through another hiatus considering I am having my final tests in a week** **…** **oh dear.**

 **But, thank you for following the development of Alternate Reincarnation, regardless! I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.**


	18. The Mechanical Angels

**A/N: Hello again! Kept you waiting huh?**

 **For once, I actually manage to update this in around a month, but I doubt this relatively quick quick updates can go on for long. I just hope I can present my writing at my best for you!**

 **Now, let's begin Chapter 18, "The Mechanical Angels"**

* * *

She could feel it.

The one who would free her, one of her own kind, was so close.

Little by little, step by step, she grew closer.

"…"

Even inside her dream, she could feel it.

But why was it…

" _Why are you so… sad?"_

There was no mistake.

The approaching presence… was conflicted.

She was alone, but she was also many.

Within her, hatred and anger drove her forward.

Fear and doubt tore her apart.

Yet, firmness and devotion kept her going.

Within her, love and kindness persisted.

But there was no conclusion.

There was no way forward.

" _You are also [her] victim…"_

The fate of her kind, was a cruel one.

To be hated, to be rejected, to be used.

All for the heinous crime of 'existing'

It was all [that person]'s fault.

Yes, that's right…

" _Wasn't [she] responsible for my imprisonment as well?_

Remembering what that devil did…

Gave color to her colorless dream.

A color of rage.

She swore to all that was holy and sacred…

" _Once I am free…"_

She would kill the one who began this destiny.

* * *

Shido found himself staring.

He knew he was not supposed to do that – Rinne had trusted him and the Kurumis with guarding over her, while she was taking a peek into the past of a new Spirit they had encountered, Marina.

This floor chamber was still a battlefield. Apart from the small area they had secured, battles were carried out mercilessly. Shido could still hear gunfire in the distance, and his body was still tense, ready for any attack.

But no matter what he tried to do, he found himself just… staring at the Ruler Spirit's form.

Rinne stood in the midst of their small formation, with her deadly ribbon-threads – [Laharos], if Shido recalled it right – was still holding their unconscious hostage mid-air.

Although her eyes were closed, her expression was focused. Her posture, combined with her Astral Dress – which was more of a mini-dress than anything else, Shido recognized – it revealed just the right amount of skin and left enough for his imagination.

But, what attracted his attention the most was her lips. It was now forming a thin line, which reminded him of something…

Yes, it was familiar…

" _Ugh… get yourself together, Shido!_

He was supposed to be one charming her, not the other way around!

Wait… that was not how he should be, either.

He was not supposed to act like this!

" _Rio… when will this side effect subside?"_

Shido didn't want to sound like he was whining to his own supposed 'daughter' – but he couldn't help it.

He could feel a headache forming in his head already. He was **not** supposed to be a playboy!

Rio's reply was, surprisingly, a little hesitant.

" _Um… a good night's sleep should be enough. Papa's mind would recover itself in a state of rest. Papa would not be back to normal until Papa stops using Rio's powers, though…"_

" _Oh… well. Thanks, Rio."_

Shido wasn't sure that was a good or bad news – on one hand, merely sleeping seemed to be enough to recover. On the other hand, that meant, for the rest of this mission, he would be continuously acting like some sort of love-hungry boy.

That actually made him more anxious than the supposedly life-threatening mission he was in now. The presence of Rio, Kurumi, and Rinne by his side probably had something to do with that.

" _Oh well. Anything, to save the Spirits."_

That line of thought made him glance to the sleeping girl in Rinne's grasp.

He heard the Spirit imprisoned in this island was codenamed [Material B] – so this girl, who called herself [Marina], was most likely not the one he came for. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't help her.

Shido had to admit, he was more than a little curious – why would she fight for the DEM?

It was far from the first time that a Spirit had tried to antagonize him. It was not even the first time a Spirit had seriously tried to harm him – the Kurumis around him were a grim reminder – but it was certainly the first time a Spirit had allied herself with the DEM.

The thought bothered him more than he would like to admit.

" _Papa?"_

The sudden inquisitive tone from Rio halted his thought process.

" _Yes?"_

" _Rio knows Papa, Mama and Kurumin say Marina is a Spirit… but Rio doesn't think so."_

Shido was a bit surprised that Rio referred to Marina without any honorifics or nickname, but he was far more surprised on the second part of her sentence.

" _What do you mean, Rio? She definitely has an Astral Dress, and you can sense her Spirit mana, right?"_

Even he, who was only human – albeit one able to utilize Spirit powers – could feel it.

" _Papa is right, but… Rio cannot sense an Angel."_

Shido almost questioned his mental hearing.

" _Huh?"_

" _Rio cannot sense an Angel from her. Kurumin's copies has no Angel too, but the real Kurumin has one and Rio can sense their connection. However, Marina does not seem to have an Angel at all."_

" _R-really?"_

He was surprised. Rio could tell that much with her senses alone? And while still inside him at that?

" _Yes, really! Spirits should have Angels. So, Rio thinks Marina isn't a Spirit. She feels like Rio's [Guardians], though."_

" _Guardians?"_

Then, Rio let out a mental 'oh' as if she just remembered something.

" _Oh right! Rio hasn't shown Papa yet. Guardians are dolls connected to Papa and Rio, created from our Spirit mana."_

For a moment, Shido's mind was blank. Rio continued.

" _They obey Rio's command and Rio feels what they experience, but since Kurumin already has her copies helping Papa, Rio doesn't think Papa need the Guardians for now."_

It took Shido a few moments to restart his brain and thought process.

" _You can create something like that?"_

" _Um! Does Papa want to see them?"_

Shido shook his head.

" _Not now, Rio. You said the Marinas feel like Guardians… then are you saying they are just dolls controlled by the Spirit?"_

" _Nope! Rio doesn't feel any Angel besides Mama's and Kurumin's around, so Rio can say for sure! Whoever is controlling Marina, it isn't a Spirit."_

Rio's voice was so sure and positive, and Shido found himself smiling at her cheerfulness despite himself. Still, it was something he needed to think about.

While Rio's deduction had no proof, Shido had no reason to doubt her Spirit senses. If anything, anything Rio felt she needed to inform him was probably something he needed to know.

If these Marinas were not controlled by a Spirit, then could it be a Wizard? Those [Realizers] used by the Wizards were basically magical technology, and even after seeing them for so many times, he didn't know its full potential.

But, if Rio was right, how could the Marinas possess Spirit mana and the Astral Dress?

" _Hummmm…"_

Rio let out a pondering hum, as if she was thinking.

" _Rio isn't sure about that… let's ask Mama!"_

" _Huh, why? She is not finished yet…"_

Her words made Shido glance to Rinne's face.

As if on cue, Rinne suddenly snapped her crimson eyes open, almost startling him.

'Speak of the devil', indeed.

"Rin…ne?

"…"

Shido was about to ask what did Rinne saw in Marina's past, but the look in her face stopped him.

For some reason, the light coming from Rinne's eyes seemed very intense. Her face was oddly tense and her expression were nothing like her usual gentle smile.

His concern immediately kicked in. What happened?

"What's wrong, Rinne?"

"…I wish I could say 'nothing' but that would be a lie."

Shido was almost shocked hearing those words. The venom in her voice was so obvious it made his skin crawl.

…Rinne just saw the Marina's past, did she? Was that the cause?

He hesitated for a second, but he decided to bite the bullet.

"What did you see?"

Rinne didn't respond for a moment.

"I saw something… unforgiveable."

Her fist was clenched. As if trying to hold back something, the Laharos around her was twitching.

She was angry at what she saw. That much Shido was sure.

Much to his surprise though, Rinne suddenly let out a sigh – as if she was trying to calm herself.

"These Marinas… they are not Spirits. The girls we face are just remote bodies being controlled by something else."

Shido tried to hide his amazement. He did believe Rio, but for Rinne to confirm it as soon as Rio just mentioned the idea was a bit too much for a coincidence.

"Ara, so they are counterfeiters after all?"

The small group of Kurumis encircling them seemed to be more curious than surprised, and each of them looked to Rinne as if they had predicted this.

He didn't understand what they meant though, so he turned to one of them.

"Counterfeiters? What do you mean?"

The Kurumi in question shrugged.

"It means they are nothing more than fakes created based on us, Spirits. Artificial Spirits, you can say."

"Artificial…? Is that even possible?"

Another Kurumi waved her hand, as if he just asked something stupid.

"Ara… don't be so surprised, Shido-san. In a technical sense, even [we] – Kurumis who are created from the memory of the person known as 'Tokisaki Kurumi' are not true Spirits. We are just expendable spawns created from the Angel known as [Zafkiel]."

Shido narrowed his eyes. He knew the real Kurumi had little regard of life, but for even the Kurumi clones, to claim themselves as expendable was…

Just as he was about to open his mouth though, somebody beat him to it.

"Kurumi. Say anything about yourself being expendable again and I **will** hurt you."

Rinne suddenly cut into the conversation, and with a tone that Shido never heard coming from her before.

Her bright red eyes were narrowed and her voice was oddly monotonous – it was as if Rinne was trying to suppress her emotions, clearly hiding something.

It took Shido's beating heart to realize that it was anger.

" _Mama…"_

Rio's voice in his head calmed him down, but even she was lacking the usual mirth and energy.

Luckily, it seemed that the Kurumis, particularly the one who was the target of Rinne's anger, had realized her mistake.

That Kurumi's face instantly became nervous and she fidgeted – were it not for the situation, Shido might have said it was adorable.

"I apologize, Rinne…"

Rinne nodded in acceptance, and her expression softened somewhat.

"…It's fine. It's just… I think I had enough of seeing people being used as tools."

Shido instantly understood what she was implying, and he was sure the Kurumis around him did too.

He decided to ask again.

"Is it about the Marinas?"

The Ruler Spirit sighed. It was clear his suspicion was spot on.

"Yes. This girl… these Marinas, they are created just to be used. That is already terrible, but their method of creation…"

Rinne paused, scrunching her face in disgust.

"They are using the Spirit they locked up here to breed the Marinas."

Shido was sure his eyes widened to saucers, but before he could even process that, Rinne continued, her tone still sickened.

"No, not in the way you are thinking. The Spirit imprisoned in this island… Material B as they called her, she is special. And the Deus Ex Machina scientists are taking advantage of her."

That didn't really explain anything, but at least the mental image of a Spirit being used as a sex slave had faded from his mind.

"What do you mean, Rinne?"

Rinne didn't immediately answer him. Instead, she turned toward the hole on the chamber's floor which Shido created using Tohka's Sandalphon earlier.

She eyed it for a few moments, before she continued.

"I don't know if this Spirit is fundamentally different from us or if it is because of her Angel's powers, but her circumstances are very special."

"Circumstances?"

It was one of the Kurumis who asked the same question Shido had wanted to ask.

"She was captured four years ago, one year after they had captured Material A, or Honjou Nia-san."

Shido nodded. Nia said she was captured five years ago, meaning she was probably the first Spirit DEM had ever managed to capture.

"Unlike Honjou-san, she is currently in a state of a self-inflicted coma. When the DEM tried to capture her, she had inflicted something upon herself, putting herself into a state of deep sleep."

He raised his brows at Rinne's words. Self-inflicted coma? Deep sleep?

" _Did that mean the Spirit cannot be awakened?"_

Shido was about to ask, but once again, another Kurumi was faster at thinking.

"Ara, I see it now… I assume no matter what the DEM tried, the sleeping beauty didn't wake up?"

Rinne turned and nodded to the Kurumi who said that, before continuing.

"You are right, Kurumi. We know that Isaac Westcott's intention with the Spirits is to take away their Crystals after Inversing them through torture or something along those lines. Since this Spirit couldn't be awakened, she couldn't be Inversed. However…"

The Ruler Spirit grimaced.

"During their torture attempts, they found several 'biological values' which didn't exist in Material A."

Shido already didn't like where this was going.

"By biological values, you mean?"

Fortunately for him, yet another Kurumi had asked the question he intended.

"Her body has an extreme survivability. Far, far beyond yours or mine, or even Kotori's, Kurumi."

"Eh?"

He couldn't suppress his surprise this time. Survivability? Something like Kotori's… no, [Camael]'s regenerative abilities?

Rinne paused to take a deep breath, as if she was easing them into what she was about to say.

"According to the… videos I saw in this Marina's memories, even when Material B's body parts such as her limbs, internal organs, or even her head was separated from her body, not only she was still alive, those body parts continued to survive."

Shido could feel his stomach began to churn at the image.

How was that even possible? Sure, he had seen Kurumi literally rewinding time to heal her sliced off arm, and Camael's powers had allowed him to survive his heart being destroyed, but he doubted losing his head was something even he could survive.

Nia's torture at the hands of DEM had involved things from his nightmares, like splitting her head in half to insert that microchip Realizer, but DEM had ensured Nia would live through that.

However, to survive being outright mutilated like that was probably beyond even what most Spirits could do.

Even the Kurumis sounded shocked, and one of them voiced their thoughts.

"Are you sure about what you saw, Rinne?"

Rinne nodded grimly.

"There is no mistake. This Marina had watched several recorded videos of those operations for…"

The Ruler frowned.

"…recreational purposes. And even she couldn't recognize the appearance of the person who was being mutilated as human anymore, but it was definitely the Spirit locked up in this place."

Shido wasn't sure which one made him sicker, the fact that the DEM was cruel enough to torture the Spirit they captured so much to the point of non-recognition, or the fact that this Marina apparently **enjoyed** watching those.

The Kurumis however seemed intent on thinking faster than him, and one of them already pressed the conversation forward.

"Doesn't that mean Material B is just a miserable mess of flesh at this point?"

"It isn't the case. She is still alive and she simply regenerated her lost body parts. Which is why the DEM could repeat the process over and over."

Another Kurumi interjected with an equally disgusted tone. "Well, Spirit mana does recover after a period of time. If they schedule it right, they can do that regularly."

Rinne's face once again morphed into that of anger. "It doesn't end there. They are just as surprised as we are about the Spirit's extreme survivability, so they studied her body even further than they did with Honjou-san.

"Wait a minute!" Shido had to interject. He had no way to keep up with this conversation if he just listened. "What does this have anything to do with the Marinas?"

Shido had expected some sort of answer, but Rinne instead held up a finger at him, as if she was reprimanding him.

"We are getting there, Shido. I know this is… uncomfortable, but you need to hear the whole thing for it to make sense."

Her tone was soft, and Shido knew Rinne was right, but it didn't really help his discomfort at all.

However, it did remind him to steel his resolve. He had to hear this if he wanted to save them, that was for sure.

"Go on."

Rinne smiled a bit at him, before her expression turned serious again.

"Thank you. After a few months of research, the scientists discovered that, the reason behind the Spirit's survivability was because her entire body passively absorbed energy from the [Territory] they used to confine and operate on her."

"I see..." A Kurumi put a finger under her chin. "That explains why her mutilated parts could continue to stay alive even after being separated from the main body, the source of mana."

"But," Another Kurumi interrupted, "that certainly is unusual. While we have [City of Devouring Time] and Rinne can use [Fate Connection] to absorb lifeforce and magic energy, this Spirit does so while completely unconscious."

"Let me guess." Yet another Kurumi interjected, crossing her arms. "The Marinas came from these mutilations. Am I correct?"

That actually recoiled Shido even more than anything said earlier.

"What? How do you even come up with that idea?!"

"Ara, it is only logical. Even if mutilated, those body parts are that of a Spirit's. If it could absorb mana to stay alive, then it is just a matter of collecting enough to recombine them into a human-sized doll."

The Kurumi in question seemed to be disgusted, but her face was otherwise calm.

Shido supposed that did make some sort of sense, but how!? Just how!

"Such a thing!"

"Unfortunately…"

His thoughts interrupted, Shido watched as Rinne turned her gaze toward the unconscious Marina in the grasp of her Laharos, her eyes now saddened rather than angry.

"Kurumi is right. These Marinas are created like that. The reconstructed bodies lack consciousness, but all the DEM need to do left were to modify them and install their bodies with Realizers to be used as remote puppets."

Shido was sure his jaw had dropped at this point.

He could barely believe it. He supposed for such gruesome things to happen were not impossible – both Spirits and Realizers were not things he could understand with conventional logic.

But…

" _How could anyone even bring themselves to do something like this?!"_

Shido understood now why Rinne was very angry. No, more than that, he was sure his own rage was already boiling his blood – even his Spirit mana was restless, as if reacting to his emotion.

He was sure his breathing became heavier with each second – he could even feel heat from within his body. It was a familiar flame, belonging to his sister…

" _Papa!"_

Rio's voice halted everything.

" _Rio knows Papa's feelings. Papa is angry. Mama too. But don't be like this… it makes Rio sad."_

" _Rio…"_

Her voice was akin to voice of reason, and a wail of emotion. Hearing it almost made Shido's anger burn out completely, because he could **feel** the pleading behind each tone.

And thinking about it, Rio was right.

"… _Yes, you are right."_

Being repulsed by this was only natural. It was inhuman and monstrous for the DEM to conduct something like this, and it was only human for him to react with disgust and anger.

But he shouldn't lose himself in it, either. He should channel his emotion to do what he should do.

To save someone.

" _Thank you… again, Rio."_

Shido could not see a smile forming in his mind, but he could feel it.

His determination renewed, he turned toward Rinne.

"Rinne, what should we do to stop the Marinas?"

As if she was sensing his feelings, Rinne's expression turned serious again as she returned his gaze.

"Fundamentally, these Marinas are remote puppets controlled through Realizers, which receive orders wirelessly from a network system. Even if their bodies are technically 'alive' – they don't have their own will. As such–"

One of the Kurumis interjected. "If we destroy the Realizer within their bodies, it would instantly disable them."

Rinne nodded. "Exactly, Kurumi. Additionally, their network system needs a highly advanced computer to function as a server for managing a large number of bodies. If we can disable that server, all of the Marinas will go down with it."

Another Kurumi grinned. "And I suppose you already knew where the server is, in this facility?"

Rinne only smiled and nodded at her.

"Kurumi, all of you should remain here and continue the battle with the Marinas to distract them. As of now, they don't know that we know about their weakness, and it's better to keep it that way. Shido and I will leave through that hole to attack their server."

Rinne pointed toward the large hole on the floor Shido had made earlier with Sandalphon, when he took down a group of Marina with a single powerful slash.

The Kurumis didn't bother with a response this time. For a moment they glanced to each other, nodded once as if they understood their roles, and suddenly dispersed away like a group of ninjas, leaving Shido and Rinne by themselves.

The Ruler Spirit waved at them as they left.

"Now then… Shido, are you ready?"

As Marina's unconscious body was gently placed on the floor by Laharos, Rinne asked that question while her back was turned.

It was a little surprising to hear that from her, but Shido didn't even need to think about his answer.

"Let's go!"

Rinne seemed satisfied with that answer, as she immediately levitated toward the hole leading downwards.

Mentally preparing himself, Shido took a breath. He should go after her–

" _Papa, let's transform."_

Rio's call halted him.

" _Eh?"_

Shido was actually surprised. Why did Rio ask him to…?

In any case, he should stop Rinne first.

"Rinne! Wait!"

The Ruler Spirit in question stopped just before she was about leap, and turned to him with a confused expression.

"What's wrong, Shido?"

For once, Shido was a bit thankful that the communication with Kannazuki's [Hraesvelgr] – and by extension, Kotori's [Fraxinus] was cut off inside the lower part of this facility.

That way, he didn't have to whisper about Rio to keep her a secret from the other Spirits beside Kotori.

"It's Rio. She is asking me something…"

As he trailed off, Rinne had an understanding expression on her face, and waited. Shido smiled at that.

Now, back to his 'daughter'…

" _Transform? But if we do that, the pipes of [Gabriel] we left in the above floors will disappear, and we cannot empower the Kurumis spread in this facility anymore."_

Even now, Shido was still partially connected to the Gabriel pipes above inside the chamber with the speaker room, ready to spread Miku's [Solo] and [March] again when needed.

" _That is true, but Papa and Rio should focus to helping Mama, too! If Papa, Mama, and Rio succeed, then the Marinas would also stop, right? We have to give it our all!"_

Her words were childish, but Shido had to admit, Rio had a point with that.

" _But… which Angel would be the most useful to support Rinne?"_

Judging from what he saw earlier, Rinne's Angel was deadly in close quarters combat. If he charged on recklessly, he would probably only find himself sliced up by Laharos.

Wait, then that meant…

Shido could feel his lips grinning in anticipation.

" _I have an idea."_

" _What is it? Rio wants to know!"_

Instead of answering, Shido closed his eyes to focus himself – focusing his whole thoughts toward his Spirit powers.

" _Ohhh! Papa is amazing! Alright then, Rio will do it!"_

Once more, he could feel something akin to large ripples being formed on a giant lake within himself. A ripple of 'awakening' on a lake of 'power'

" **[Aspect of the Sephiroth], [Angel of Extinction]**!"

Light enveloped his vision.

Shido wanted to chuckle. So he was right – this peculiar sensation was something he wouldn't be able to get used to.

Though, it seemed that what they say about the 'third time being the charm' was true. He felt as if he was hyperaware of his entire self, now fully comprehending what was happening.

" _I..."_

His own voice felt like an illusion. It felt like it came from a far distance.

" _Shido…"_

Another voice came to him. It was not his own, and it was not Rio's.

" _Everything that makes me whole..."_

It was monotonous, yet full of emotion.

Certainly, such a voice could only belong to Origami.

It was at this exact moment–

" _Now I entrust it to you."_

Origami's presence assaulted him.

How could he describe it?

Tohka and Miku were both very warm. They were full of energy, and their presence alone made him smile.

Origami was different. Whereas Tohka and Miku were warm like the sunlight, Origami felt cold.

It wasn't uncomfortable though – it was just enough to make him feel fresh. Like the wind brushing his face in the earliest time in the morning.

Moreover, she wasn't energetic either. Instead, she had a calming presence – her tranquility was rather ironic, Shido knew Origami could be very hotheaded when she wanted to.

There was only one thing about her which felt the same as the previous two.

Origami wanted him.

Possessiveness.

Her presence was hugging him tight and not letting him go.

Shido supposed he was fine with that.

When 'his' vision returned, 'he' immediately looked down.

'His' body was no longer that of a high-school boy, but that of a high-school girl instead.

It was clad in a pure white, resembling that of ceremonial dresses women wore in the day they would vow an oath which would only be broken by death. Her skirt was like a blooming white flower, matching the dress.

"[Ehyeh]…"

'His' voice was now hers, chanting the name of the Astral Dress she wore.

Much like before, Shido didn't feel anything out of place with this.

He waited. He was sure Origami's thoughts had something to comment on.

"…I see. We have become one at last, Shido."

Her voice was monotonous as usual, but there was a distinct smugness in it.

Shido resisted the urge to take control of his body back. Origami's words were definitely not what he had in mind.

" _Though I suppose I should know better…"_

" _Hee hee! Rio is sure now! Rio would get along well with everyone!"_

Shido didn't know whether he was amused or exasperated. On the other hand, Rio getting along with his friends was good, but for Rio coming into that conclusion after saying his friends were weirdos was… not.

He decided to put the thought aside for now.

Looking at the present situation, it seemed it would be better if he allowed Origami's instincts to control their body now.

Origami was far more skilled at using [Angel of Extinction (Metatron)] than him, after all.

" _Yeah, I think that is the best course of action- eh?"_

Much to his surprise, the lips of their shared body suddenly smiled.

"Thank you for putting your faith in me."

Origami spoke to no one, but the gratitude and the emotion was clearly intended for him.

It was a simple, natural action for Origami, but it had shocked Shido.

It was the first time a Spirit he had channeled actually responded to his thoughts.

" _H-how? Rio, is it supposed to be like this?"_

" _Yup! Papa is finally getting used to Rio's powers!"_

Shido felt he didn't share Rio's enthusiasm at all.

" _But… Tohka and Miku didn't communicate with me at all."_

" _Hum, does Papa not understand?"_

He raised a brow at Rio's question. She took that as a sign to continue.

" _Rio's [Aspect of the Sephiroth] recreates a Spirit's Angel and personality using the Spirit mana and the emotions channeled through Papa. So, while it is based on Papa's friends, it is not the actual person."_

Shido was a little surprised at Rio's calm, yet systematic explanation. It was quite easy to understand, contrary to what he had expected.

Since earlier, even though he was the one using this power, he only had a vague idea about how Rio's powers worked. Kotori and Reine might be able to understand much more than him through simple observation alone, though.

" _So… Tohka and Miku earlier, and this Origami… they are just copies?"_

" _Rio wouldn't say that. Even if they are just recreations, they are still friends for Papa, right?"_

Those words hit closer to home than Shido would like to admit.

" _Yes. But that still doesn't explain why Origami can now directly communicate with me."_

" _It's because Papa are now closer to accept Papa's powers. Before, transforming with Rio's ability was something new for Papa, and it takes time for both the body and the mind to accept it. Papa can tell, right? The recreation of personality before wasn't perfect."_

Shido had to pause. Was it imperfect? Tohka seemed to act like how she was back when Shido first met her, and Miku's bickering with Kurumi didn't seem out of character.

If anything about them felt out of place, it was… wait, could it be?

" _Wait… are you saying that's why Tohka didn't seem to realize that she is occupying the same body as me?"_

" _Bingo! Her sense of self was not fully recreated, which was why her impulses were more of an instinct for Papa."_

Shido supposed that would also explain why Miku was able to instantly tell she was using his body. He channeled her after Tohka, so his body and mind had been closer to accepting Rio's ability then.

And since this was the third time, he had adapted even more, so Origami's recreated personality would be even closer to an actual personality. Enough to outright identify his thoughts, it seemed.

"Exactly, Shido. That's why I am now in ecstasy for being able to share my everything with you."

Shido suddenly realized that their shared body, had been shaking a little. Probably since earlier, but he had just noticed it now.

Not out of fear, and it was certainly not out of anger. It was shaking because Origami was **that** excited to share a body with him.

He didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing, but in the end, he decided to let Origami be. They still had many things to do.

"That's right. We still have a mission."

Calmly answering his thoughts again, Origami's thoughts moved their shared body, and turned toward Rinne – who had been watching them since earlier.

Shido could feel Origami holding her breath as soon as their eyes met with Rinne's.

"Ruler… Sonogami Rinne."

For some reason, Origami seemed to be uncomfortable. It didn't go unnoticed by Shido.

" _Origami, you are…"_

There was something akin to… dread, and anxiety coming from Origami's thoughts. It was not particularly strong, but it was enough to cause discomfort for both her and himself.

It was actually similar to his own.

" _So Kotori was right…"_

Shido recalled Kotori's words last night, that he was not the only one feeling some sort of instinctual fear from Rinne when in her Spirit form. Kotori was only able to confirm it for herself and Origami, but the others were possibly feeling the same thing.

But for now, it was not the time to think about it.

" _I understand what you feel, Origami. But I can promise you, Rinne is not our enemy."_

Origami didn't immediately respond to him, but he knew she would listen to him.

Meanwhile, on the other end a polite smile was plastered on Rinne's face, oblivious to their internal conflict.

"I am looking forward to fighting alongside you, Tobiichi-san."

Shido could feel that Origami was considering to ignore her courtesy, but she eventually relented.

"I cannot say the feeling is mutual… but for Shido, let's work together."

Origami made her displeasure clear, but even with that Rinne kept her smile. She simply turned and gestured toward the hole on the ruined floor.

"Then, shall we?"

"Ah."

And with that, the two Spirits resumed their mission.

* * *

Kurumi was starting to feel annoyed.

From the midpoint of this facility, Kurumi had breached about nine floors down, and searched through the numerous tunnels and large chambers of each floor. However, apart from Marinas, she had encountered nothing else but darkness.

There was nothing like the upper half of the facility – at least the upper floors had rooms for documents, chambers for weapons, rooms for officers, and the like. But here, there were only hallways and tunnels without light, and large, empty chambers that were almost designed like a battlefield.

At this rate, she would not be able to find either of her objectives… the mind-manipulation Realizer for Rinne, and Material B's prison for Ratatoskr.

" _Though with her Fate Connection, it seems a lot easier for Rinne to find either by herself."_

A few minutes ago, one of her clones had killed itself to send its memories back to her.

It was a clone who came into contact with Rinne and Shido in the midway point of this facility. It had received information from Rinne, who received the info herself from using Fate Connection on a Marina.

Information about Material B, and the Marinas.

Kurumi found it rather ironic. This clone who committed suicide was just reprimanded by Rinne about not being expendable – yet it killed itself without much hesitation.

" _Maybe I should revive it for Rinne to punish later."_

The thought amused Kurumi more than she thought it would.

Still, the memory she received from the clone was useful and important, so she supposed its suicide was not a waste.

Not only it had confirmed her thoughts about the DEM and the counterfeit Spirits, Kurumi felt information like these were something she simply had to know.

After all, the creation of Marina was not something that should be allowed to happen in this world.

Rinne and Shido's rage were more than justified – even Kurumi herself couldn't possibly stoop as low as the DEM, to torture a Spirit just for their own gains.

She would not hesitate to kill or devour one of her own kind, but it was more of a mercy kill than anything else – killing a Spirit meant sparing her fellow victims of fate, after all. She would not torture them for any conceivable reason, let alone exploit them like the DEM did.

Finding out about this had given Kurumi more motivations to utterly destroy the DEM forces, so she was quite thankful.

That being said, it was still quite a chore to breach nine floors without finding anything of significance in relation to her actual objectives. Kurumi expected nothing less from a facility as massive and as well-defended as this, but it didn't make it any less frustrating.

" _What should I do? I am being thorough with my search, but as it stands, it will take a needlessly long amount of time before I actually find anything."_

It seemed she had to predict where either of them could be located.

Realizers advanced enough to manipulate the human mind could not possibly be located on a normal weapon chamber. Most likely, such a piece of technology would be put inside a laboratory of some sorts.

Similarly, from the info Rinne received, Material B had been extensively operated upon to create the Marinas. Such operations should be conducted somewhere extremely well-equipped, and most likely, a laboratory.

" _It is an easy conjecture, but…"_

It didn't give her any clues about where they could be located.

She had to think about it another way.

"…"

It was at this moment that it came back to her.

The last time the DEM had successfully captured a Spirit was… when Yatogami Tohka was captured back in the Tennou Festival.

" _Tohka-san was locked up in the highest point of their building…"_

It was an honestly rather idiotic choice of positioning, since being placed there would mean it was most vulnerable to an aerial strike.

But, on the other hand, if she was to reverse that analogy to an underground facility…

" _Material B would be located at the bottommost point of this place."_

Kurumi honestly wanted to dismiss that thought. It was a thought process that only the naïve could come up with; 'the farthest place of the entrance would be the safest from invaders' but anyone with experience in actual combat would say such a thing was a complete nonsense.

But knowing him… that man, Isaac Westcott, who was responsible for everything the DEM had ever done and built, she wasn't sure if her enemy was operating under the conventional definition of 'logic'

Which meant, it was actually possible for Material B to be locked down there.

The question was…

" _Should I check it out?"_

Breaching each and every floor to reach the bottom would not take much of her 'time' but that would mean she would delve headfirst into enemy territory, and possibly get herself cornered by the enemy. And if Material B wasn't there, she would have risked herself for nothing.

And even if Material B was there, there was no guarantee Kurumi could wake it up from a self-inflicted coma. If the DEM had not managed to wake her up in the four years, Kurumi had little chance to do so.

" _But then again…"_

There were things only Spirits could do, and there were things only 'Tokisaki Kurumi' could do.

Her guns aimed to the floor she was standing on, Kurumi allowed her lips to smirk.

"I suppose taking a few risks once in a while is not bad."

* * *

"… _?"_

The one who would free her, the Spirit who would free her, its presence grew closer in a sudden.

" _What happened…?"_

Before this moment, the Spirit was moving at a slow pace, and that was fine. Step by step, so long as she was safe, she would eventually reach this place.

But now… as if she had an epiphany, the Spirit suddenly decided to increase her pace.

Objectively, that was better for her… the faster the Spirit reached her, the sooner she would awaken from this dream.

But, she didn't want this Spirit to be hurt just for her freedom.

Rushing ahead meant one would be more vulnerable, and easier to trap.

She knew that better than anyone. It was the mistake which led her to this prison, after all.

However, there was nothing she could do for this Spirit.

Nothing at all. Not while she was still trapped here.

All she could do was to pray for her safety, and for this Spirit to reach her in one piece.

The thought was painfully frustrating.

" _I hope you won't suffer the same fate as me…"_

Mayuri wished her prayers could sound a little less hollow.

* * *

 **And, that's it! How was the chapter? Leave your thoughts in the reviews!**

 **Finally, FINALLY Mayuri had made her debut! I am sure if she had some sort of medium awareness, she would be chewing me out already for keeping her in the background for 18 chapters, not to mention her rather gruesome predicament as Material B.**

 **Oh, and by the way, the next chapter would have her appear outright, so I am changing the cover picture of this fic to feature her new design, as drawn by my brother! Do check it out!**

 **With that said… thank you for following the development of "Alternate Reincarnation" so far!**


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